FYI. http://www.respublica.org.uk/blog/2011/01/anticipating-%E2%80%98unanticipated-gains%E2%80%99 Anticipating the 'Unanticipated Gains' A new approach to social capital by Adam Coutts In his book Unanticipated Gains, Mario Small focuses on how social capital may actually be created through our interactions within one another and the organisations with which we work - often in ways which are unexpected, or incidental to purpose. This is important stuff - we know quite a bit about the importance of social capital and the effects of being socially isolated; but also very little about how service delivery and social interventions lead to a decline or increase in the 'stocks' of individual and neighbourhood social capital. Small suggests that the aim should be to design in from the outset support for social capital into the 'routine' organisations and programmes that people frequently use and interact with on a day-to-day basis providing additional benefits to both society and service recipient. Although he focuses on childcare centres, his argument can be extended to the broadest range of public service interventions, including labour market training and skills programmes, social housing providers, community groups, gyms and other such institutions. A more radical approach might involve encouraging private sector organisations to consider how the delivery of their services might similarly provide spin-off benefits for the communities within which they work, through socially-focused design, rather than through corporate social responsibility add-ons. To leave, manage or join list: https://listserv.yorku.ca/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=sdoh&A=1