hi all,

i must be missing something.

as i have understood social capital, i have taken it as the capacity for people to have enough trust in each other to be able to work together to solve the problems they mutually confront.  in short, i have read it as a liberal term for solidarity.  it seems to me that we should insist on this meaning.   and it is in my mind very related to health.  social capital/solidarity is predicated on the history of prior efforts to solve social problems, and future problems are structured by its presense or absense.

i suppose there are some uses of the term that try to paper over social conflict between individuals, communities, classes and other social organizations- this seems to me to be a corrupt definition from the start.  there is no social capital if there is unresolved conflict.

social capital, in the solidarity sense, can exist outside of government.  but if the government has no solidarity with the people- there is no social capital that government can call on.

ken thompson 
pittsburgh


-----Original Message-----
From: Social Determinants of Health on behalf of Vanessa Yu
Sent: Sat 10/21/2006 7:51 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [SDOH] Income or Social Capital as Social Determinants of Health
 
Alternatively, the presence of high levels of social capital  
(self-sufficiency) within a group allow governments to defer  
responsibility.  When good health outcomes are apparent though,  
governments are quick to accept accountability -- and as Dennis said,  
when problems arise, communities are blamed.

Vanessa Yu

Quoting Dennis Raphael <[log in to unmask]>:

> Social capital is primarily an outcome of structural arrangements in
> society.  It may be a mediator between these structural relations (i.e.
> income distribution, job security, democratic responsiveness) and health.
> It may even feed back to support these structural relations.  But it is not
> a cause of health in itself.  It does not arise spontaneously, and it is
> certainly a minor (though potentially marginally useful) point at which to
> intervene in the service of health.
>
> It is also a de-politicized approach that allows those in authority to
> blame communities for their own problems.  It is not surprising that Robert
> Putnam was a frequent guest of the Clinton White House.  Social capital can
> help serve those in power.
>
>  See four articles on community quality of life by yours truly at:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/wjg8l
>
>
> dr
>
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