The Puzzle of Social Capital: A Critical Review

M. G. Quibria ()
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M. G. Quibria: Asian Development Bank

No 40, ADB Economics Working Paper Series from Asian Development Bank

Abstract: This paper identifies four serious conceptual and empirical problems associated with the literature on social capital. First, the concept of social capital remains largely elusive, with many different ideas attached to it. This elusiveness has serious ramifications for empirical and policy analysis. Second, while the concept of social capital is used to highlight the positive, productive aspects of sociability, it fails in important ways to qualify as a form of capital. Third, there are both theoretical and empirical presumptions to suggest that social capital can to lead to undesirable socioeconomic outcomes. Finally, a large body of empirical work on social capital remains mired in measurement and estimation problems.

Keywords: conceptual issues; empirical problems; social capital; sociability; undesirable outcomes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D70 I30 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 17 pages
Date: 2003-05-01
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:adbewp:0040

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