Generating Social Capital Civil Society and Institutions in Comparative Perspective

by Stolle, Dietlind; Hooghe, Marc

• ISBN13: 9781403962195
• ISBN10: 1403962197
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-05-16
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Social capital--networks of civic engagements, norms of reciprocity, and attitudes of trust--is widely seen as playing a key role for the health of democracy. While many authors have examined the consequences of social capital, there is a pressing need to explore its sources. This collection brings together leading American and European scholars in the first comparative analysis of how social trust and other civic attitudes are generated. The contributors to this volume examine the generation of social capital from two directions: society-based approaches that emphasize voluntary associations, and institutional approaches that emphasize policy.

Author Biography

Marc Hooghe is Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Brussel and University of Antwerp.

Dietlind Stolle is Assistant Professor of Political Science, McGill University.

Table of Contents

Generating Social Capital--Marc Hooghe & Dietlind Stolle * The Sources of Social Capital: Theoretical and Empirical Insights--Dietlind Stolle * Part 1: Society-Centered Approaches to Social Capital * The Creation of Democratic Attitudes: Do Associations Matter?--Nonna Mayer * How Important is Face-To-Face Interaction?--Dag Wollebaek & Per Selle * Voluntary Associations and Civic Attitudes: Value Congruence as a Causal Mechanism--Marc Hooghe * Associations or Informal Networks? Social Capital and Local Development Practices--Nadia Molenaers * Rain or Fog: An Empirical Examination of Social Capital’s Rainmaker Effects--Job van der Meer * Part II: Institution-centered Approaches to Social Capital * A Tale of Two Cities: Local Patterns of Social Capital--Joep de Hart & Paul Dekker * Trust, Democracy and Governance: Can Government Policies Influence Generalized Trust?--Eric M. Uslaner * Social Capital, Impartiality and the Welfare State: An Institutional Approach--Bo Rothstein & Dietlind Stolle * Contemporary Institutions versus Historical Trajectories: The Case of Italy--Michel Huysseune

Generating Social Capital--Marc Hooghe & Dietlind Stolle * The Sources of Social Capital: Theoretical and Empirical Insights--Dietlind Stolle * Part 1: Society-Centered Approaches to Social Capital * The Creation of Democratic Attitudes: Do Associations Matter?--Nonna Mayer * How Important is Face-To-Face Interaction?--Dag Wollebaek & Per Selle * Voluntary Associations and Civic Attitudes: Value Congruence as a Causal Mechanism--Marc Hooghe * Associations or Informal Networks? Social Capital and Local Development Practices--Nadia Molenaers * Rain or Fog: An Empirical Examination of Social Capital’s Rainmaker Effects--Job van der Meer * Part II: Institution-centered Approaches to Social Capital * A Tale of Two Cities: Local Patterns of Social Capital--Joep de Hart & Paul Dekker * Trust, Democracy and Governance: Can Government Policies Influence Generalized Trust?--Eric M. Uslaner * Social Capital, Impartiality and the Welfare State: An Institutional Approach--Bo Rothstein & Dietlind Stolle * Contemporary Institutions versus Historical Trajectories: The Case of Italy--Michel Huysseune