Social capital: Implications for development theory, research, and policy

In the 1990s the concept of social capital-defined here as the norms and ne tworks that enable people to act collectively-enjoyed a remarkable rise to prominence across all the social science disciplines. The authors trace the evolution of social capital research as it pertains to economic developmen t and identify four distinct approaches the research has taken: communitari an, networks, institutional and synergy. The evidence suggests that of the four, the synergy view, with its emphasis on incorporating different levels and dimensions of social capital and its recognition of the positive and n egative outcomes that social capital can generate, has the greatest empiric al support and lends itself best to comprehensive and coherent policy presc riptions. The authors argue that a significant virtue of the idea of and di scourse on social capital is that it helps to bridge orthodox divides among scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.