Researching social capital in local environmental policy contexts

In recent years considerable attention has been paid to the concept of soci al capital in attempting to explain the success or failure of policy delive ry within the modern state. Much of the resulting research has, however, be en conducted within a developing countries context. This article seeks to e xamine the concept of social capital within the context of contemporary Bri tain. It explores the existence and effect of social capital through case s tudies in three local environmental policy contexts. In doing so, the artic le suggests that the potential to develop social capital may be affected by both the underlying nature of collective action problems and by the histor ic pattern of policy delivery by the local state.