Archive for the ‘social capital’ tag
Maximising social capital
During a recession, areas should look towards their strengths to help them survive.
In which case, should we revisit ‘social capital’, a term that was frequently used until a few years ago and which is greater in rural areas than urban ones?
First though, a reminder: what is social capital, how is it measured and what are its benefits?
In the 1950s, Aneurin Bevan, who oversaw the creation of the NHS, talked of ‘the living tapestry of a mixed community… [where] the doctor grocer, the butcher and the farm labourer all lived in the same street.’
This about sums it up: social capital is people’s links and relationships, or lack of them, to the people and organisations that can affect their lives.
Rural Services Network - March 2009
