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Social Capital in Practice

A general guide for the practical application of social capital

$45.00

Author: Tristan Claridge

Description

A general guide on the practical application of social capital and an overview of the different ways the concept can be applied to real-world applications. It breaks down the complexity of social capital into more easily understood components. It establishes the logic of social capital and provides a framework that is suitable for any application. It helps practitioners to build the understanding required for the purposeful and systematic application of social capital.

Social capital is an important conceptual tool with significant potential to improve outcomes anywhere people work together or where cooperation and positive social action are beneficial – which is just about every human endeavour. The concept of social capital connects social processes with the outcomes they produce, allowing us to be more purposeful and deliberate in our activities. It provides a framework for understanding why and how people collaborate, interact positively, and work together. Social capital is valuable anywhere people work together or exchange, so it can be applied to any community, group, organisation, team, project, or activity.

Our approach outlined in this guide is theoretically grounded, logically consistent, and balanced. It is based on over 20 years of experience researching and applying the concept and on extensive existing theory. Social capital requires two components: people must be connected otherwise there are limited opportunities for positive social action; and people must be inclined or predisposed to act and act positively when opportunities arise. This guide outlines the general approach and the key ways in which the concept can be applied in practice and identifies many of the common programs that can be implemented. It provides a broad framework that can be used to design, implement, and evaluate a wide variety of applications of social capital.