Hi Toba (and Richard),

Re: who coined the term "social capital," technically (and with all due 
respect), that's not correct... Political scientists (well, technically, 
Robert Putnam) popularized it (and revamped it)... and now social 
capital (as the work of Spencer Moore and his colleague's aptly 
illustrates) is often conflated in health research with Putnam's 
(communitarian) perspective.  Alejandro Portes (1998) Ann Rev of 
Sociology piece on Social Captial provides a nice discussion on the 
evolution of the concept.  As for who coined the term, I believe Putnam 
(in Bowling Alone) credits L.J. Hannifan (sp?) a US school 
administrator, who used it back in the late 1800s/early 1900s.

Aside from any issues of assigning creative credit, though, there is a 
more important reason for bringing disciplines into this--i.e. 
disciplinary distinctions regarding the use of the term.  Social capital 
as a concept in sociology has been used very differently than Putnam's 
conceptualization.  Sociologists have often applied it in trying to 
understand issues such as stratification and individual's socioeconomic 
mobility (e.g., see the work of Nan Lin, particularly his Ann Rev of 
sociology article; William Julius Wilson and Loic Wacquant; even Mario 
Luis Small) as well as network actors and economic activity (e.g., see 
Ronald Burt's work).  These are issues that pose implications for health 
well beyond the mere psychosocial aspects of health inequalities (as 
social capital has regrettably often been relegated). 

Lin, Cook, and Burt's (2001) edited volume Social Capital: Theory and 
Research nicely dissects the theoretical differences between approaches 
(and the significant limitations of Putnam's approach).  As Portes 
(1998) nicely details: the roots of social capital can be traced back 
not just to Durkheim (as it is often linked--sometimes inappropriately), 
but also to Marx's concept of a class for itself (versus a class within 
itself).  And let's certainly not forget Pierre Bourdieu--who applied it 
in thinking about social class and power, among other issues. 

That all being said, I am in full agreement with you both that it is a 
problematic concept (particularly for public/population health) and one 
that tends to be used often uncritically as a buzzword (or conflated 
with/reduced to simply interpersonal trust). 

Best,
Rich

-- 
___________________________________
Richard M. Carpiano, PhD, MA, MPH
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology
University of British Columbia
6303 NW Marine Drive, Room 2216
Vancouver, BC CANADA V6T 1Z1
[log in to unmask]
(P) 604.822.3845
(F) 604.822.6161
http://www.soci.ubc.ca

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