Against social capital
Essential readings
Fine, Ben (2010). Theories of Social Capital: Researchers Behaving Badly. Pluto.
"Ben Fine is the world’s most thorough and indefatigible critic of the abuse of the...
Foley, M. W., Edwards, B. (1999). Is It Time to Disinvest in Social Capital? Journal of Public Policy 19, 141-173
In an effort at theoretical clarification, the authors reviewed 45 recent articles reporting...
Harriss, J. (2002). Depoliticizing Development: the World Bank and social capital. London: Anthem Press.
A unique investigation into the notion of social capital, analysing its misappropriation in...
Important readings
Bowles, S., Gintis, H. (2002). Social Capital and Community Governance. The Economic Journal 112 (483), F419–F436
Community governance is the set of small group social interactions that, with market and state,...
Fine, B. (1999). The Developmental State Is Dead—Long Live Social Capital? Development and Change 30 (1), 1-19
At the same time that the World Bank appears to be going through a process of replacing the...
Van Staveren, I., Knorringa, P. (Eds) (2007). Beyond Social Capital A critical approach. London and New York: Routledge
China is poised to gain global importance as a growth engine for the world economy on a par with...
Christoforou, A., Davis, J. B. (eds.) (2014). Social Capital and Economics. London and New York: Routledge.
This volume edited by Asimina Christoforou (Athens University of Economics and Business) and John B...
Reading list archive
Adhikari, K., Goldey, P. (2010). Social Capital and its "Downside": The Impact on Sustainability of Induced Community-Based Organizations in Nepal. World Development 38 (2), 184-194.
This paper examines the role of social capital in the sustainability of induced community-based...
Bina, C., Davis, C. (2009). Contingent Labor and Omnipotent Capital: The Open Secret of Political Economy. Political Economy Quarterly 4 (15), 166-211
Despite the passage of nearly 150 years of contentious debate and controversy, not only Marx’...
Christoforou, A. (2003). On the identity of social capital and the social capital of identity. Cambridge Journal of Economics 37, 719–736
In contemporary economics, social capital is identified by some with norms and networks that...
Christoforou, A., Lainé, M. (eds.) (2014). Re-Thinking Economics Exploring the Work of Pierre Bourdieu. London and New York: Routledge.
Once again, unfettered capitalism has failed. Promises for global prosperity and peace have given...
Cleaver, F. (2005). The inequality of social capital and the reproduction of chronic poverty. World Development 33 (6), 893-906
This paper draws on ethnographic research in Tanzania to question ideas inherent to mainstream...
Do, Q.-A., Nguyen, K.-T-, Tran, A. N. (2014). One Mandarin Benefits the Whole Clan: Hometown Favoritism in an Authoritarian Regime. LIEPP Working Paper N. 13
Although patronage politics in democracies has been studied extensively, it is less understood in...
Edwards, B., Diani, M., Foley, M. W. (Eds) (2001). Beyond Tocqueville: Civil Society and the Social Capital Debate in Comparative Perspective. Hanover and London: University Press of New England, Series on Civil Society.
Recent discussion about the role of civil society in democratic governance around the world and the...
Encarnaciòn, O. G. (2003). The Myth of Civil Society Social Capital and Democratic Consolidation in Spain and Brazil. Houndmills: Palgrave
Almost irrespective of the geographic setting, the debate about the future of democracy in post-...
Englebert, P. (2001). The World Bank and the Unsuspected Virtues of Social Capital. Pomona College Department of Politics, mimeo
Since the middle of the 1990s, the World Bank has made substantial room in its discourse and...
Foley, M. W., Edwards, B. (1997). Escape From Politics? Social Theory and the Social Capital Debate. American Behavioral Scientist 40 (5), 550
This article sets the stage for the discussion of social capital, civil society, and contemporary...
Gidwani, V. (2002). New Theory or New Dogma? A Tale of Social Capital and Economic Development from Gujarat, India. Journal of Asian and African Studies 37(2), 83-112
The quest to discover the most robust predictors of economic development continues unabated....
Grießhaber, N., Geys, B. (2010). Civic Engagement and Corruption in 20 European Democracies: Separating the Bright from the Dark Side? Unpublished
This paper analyses the effect of different forms of civic engagement on corruption. As such, it...
Iglič, H. (2010). Voluntary Associations and Tolerance: An Ambiguous Relationship. American Behavioral Scientist 53 (5), 717-736.
In the debate on social capital, it is usually assumed that membership in voluntary associations is...