CIVIL-SOCIETY AND POLITICAL CONTEXT IN CENTRAL-AMERICA

Putnam argues that civil society-citizen activity in organizations-con tributes to successful governance, but he does not specify in detail h ow this occurs. This article spells out how citizens' participation in groups might impinge on the state through both political participatio n and democratic norms. The authors consider not only Putnam's social capital but add new ''political capital'' variables. The relationships among civil society and social and political capital are then explore d, employing survey data from urban Central America. It is discovered that political context, specifically regime repression, powerfully aff ects civil society and social and political capital Furthermore, civil society more clearly affects political capital variables than social capital variables.