Generating Social Capital Civil Society and Institutions in Comparative Perspective

by Stolle, Dietlind; Hooghe, Marc

• ISBN13: 9781403962201
• ISBN10: 1403962200
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• 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

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction: Generating Social Capital	1	(18)
Marc Hooghe
Dietlind Stolle
The Sources of Social Capital	19	(24)
Dietlind Stolle
Democracy in France: Do Associations Matter?	43	(24)
Nonna Mayer
The Importance of Passive Membership for Social Capital Formation	67	(22)
Dag Wollebak
Per Selle
Voluntary Associations and Democratic Attitudes: Value Congruence as a Causal Mechanism	89	(24)
Marc Hooghe
Associations or Informal Networks? Social Capital and Local Development Practices	113	(20)
Nadia Molenaers
Rain or Fog? An Empirical Examination of Social Capital's Rainmaker Effects	133	(20)
Job van der Meer
A Tale of Two Cities: Local Patterns of Social Capital	153	(18)
Joep de Hart
Paul Dekker
Trust, Democracy and Governance: Can Government Policies Influence Generalized Trust?	171	(20)
Eric M. Uslaner
Social Capital, Impartiality and the Welfare State: An Institutional Approach	191	(20)
Bo Rothstein
Dietlind Stolle
Institutions and Their Impact on Social Capital and Civic Culture: The Case of Italy	211	(20)
Michel Huysseune
Conclusion: The Sources of Social Capital Reconsidered	231	(18)
Dietlind Stolle
Marc Hooghe
About the Authors	249	(2)
Index	251