Live long and prosper: collective action, social capital and social vision

To understand the social driving forces that lead to environmental change, we must account for the role of social interactions, the development of nor ms of behavior and the institutionalization of rules and norms - the develo pment of 'social capital'. This paper demonstrates the utility of social ca pital theory by articulating linkages between human decision making at indi vidual and collective levels and social vision, an important research focus within the emerging ecological economics research tradition. Social capita l theory clarifies relationships between social interactions and outcomes t hat contribute to the production of environmental quality, public peace and economic prosperity, necessary factors for long-term social and ecological sustainability. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.