Making Democracy Work. Civic Traditions in Modern Italy

Topics

• Governance capacity
• New forms of decision-making, Policies and instruments

Abstract

For Robert Putnam social capital is the driving force behind social relations and can be generated by a wide variety of different social interactions and institutions. It represents "connections among individuals – social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them." Also referred to ‘the features of social organisations, such as networks and trust, that facilitate co-ordination and co-operation for mutual benefit’, 'civic virtue' and 'community,' social capital 'makes us smatter, healthier, richer, and better able to govern a just and stable democracy.' Like other forms of capital social capital is inherently productive, enabling people to achieve goals that would otherwise be impossible to realise on their own. But like other forms of capital, particularly financial, it can be expended, leaving people bankrupt.

Journal / Publisher / Institution

Princeton University Press

Issue / Volume / Number

258p.

Reference to the original publication

hardcopy