word
Social Capital
SOH-shul KAP-ih-tul
/ˈsoʊʃəl ˈkæpɪtəl/Listen
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Syllable breakdown
socialcapital
Dictionary meaning
The networks of relationships, norms of reciprocity, and trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation among members of a community or society
History and origin
Developed by Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman, and Robert Putnam from the 1980s onward
Examples
- Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam argued that America's social capital has declined since the 1960s.
- Social capital helps explain why people with larger professional networks have better job prospects.
Synonyms: network capital, relational capital
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