Social capital as an analytical framework
Social capital is a concept used to refer to the social structures, institutions and shared
values making up communities. It is widely used as a means of explaining ways in
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which communities or individuals might (or might not) connect in a variety of community,
civic, cultural or economic structures and contexts. Social capital has been linked to a
broader set of concepts, notably social cohesion, democracy, economic well-being and sustainability
(see Shortall 2008, Curry 2010). Despite this diversity of application, most definitions
of social capital tend to share the core idea that social networks have value (Portes
1998). Social capital is viewed as the connections among individuals or social networks and
the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from those connections (Putnam
2000; see also Field 2003). The degree of interaction and trust in one’s fellow citizens is
implicit in the idea of social capital (Curry 2010). So too is the membership of a
network and a shared set of values.