Social capital

rich in social capital, is now a nation struggling to return to a former self. A bigger problem at play here, is the fact that most Americans are unaware of their withdrawal from one another. America needs to put an emphasis on the recreation of social capital. America’s long reign as the most respected nation in history is at risk of spiraling out of control if nothing is done to reverse this downward trend of social capital. The Importance of Social Capital This surge of decline in social…

Children’s Social Capital: A Reflection of Children’s Networks. “You are the sum total of the people you meet and interact with in the world. Whether it’s your family, peers, or co-workers, the opportunities that you have or the things that you learn all come through doors that other people open for you” (Colby, 2012). The Oxford dictionary explains social capital to be “the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function…

Citizenship and Social Capital There are many attributes in the American democratic system that has influential importance such as citizenship and social capital. There are ideal standards of citizenship and social capital. However, contemporary America may not measure up to ideal standards of citizenship and social capital but there are practical remedies to improve it. Citizenship has two definitions, a legal definition and an active definition but the focus is on the active definition. The…

Low Stakes Writing Two Professional Community Development Roles promotes social capital as an integral part of the societal make up. The article points to social capital as a large part of the answer for the broken American societal system. Where there is social capital there is a strong community. The article gave the example of Italian regions. Many of these regions used recreation to build social capital, often unintentionally. Recreation activities such as soccer clubs, choir groups and…

pro quo originally takes root in Putnam’s understanding of social capital, with a few important distinctions, in his theory of the success or failure of a state. So, as things in the United Kingdom continue to become more fragmented and social capital is lost, there will be definite setbacks to the economic growth of the nation as people start to trust one another less. To begin, it is first imperative to…

Whole Foods builds human capital with employees by hiring the right fit for their company. They desire people who are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, honest and have the charisma needed to be helpful and sell their products to customers. These traits are the building blocks for a stable company foundation. In today’s society, employee turnover costs companies a lot of money each year. With Whole Foods, they have lower turnover due to the stability of their workforce, consequently allowing them…

Introduction According to Elizabeth Anderson in her book Imperative of Integration, she argues that “segregation of social groups is a principal cause of group inequality” (2). She believes that segregation isolates marginalized groups from access to resources, capital, and social networks. This case is particularly relevant when examining the gap between whites and blacks in America. Historically, this country was founded upon the principles that justified slavery, racism, and inequality. Today…

In addition to the political discussions that exist within social networks, another specific determinant of social capital is church membership. It has been long discussed that church participation facilitates civic activity. As a matter of fact, research consistently shows that Americans who attend church regularly are more likely to take part in civic and voluntary acts (Schwadel, Cheadle and Malone). The survey was administered to attendees of two Midwest evangelical Protestant churches. One…

completely different worlds. The state that America must find ways to expand the post-9/11 resurgence of civic and social engagement beyond the ranks of affluent young white people if it wants to avoid becoming two separate societies/nations. Although obviously the idea of perfect civic equality is impossible, America could potentially become a “caste society replete with the tightly limited social mobility” (Putnam/Sanders) if change is not made. Finally, they conclude the article explaining…

In Robert Putnam’s piece, Bowling Alone, he describes how the trends of the last few decades have affected the steady decrease of civic engagement and the destruction of the social capital. These trends are also unhealthy for a democratic society like America and pose and serious problem such as people distrusting the government because of scandals during the 60s that lead to less voter turn out over the years. The argument Robert Putnam is trying to make in Bowling Alone is that the American…