Social Capital: a critical review of it uses and consequences for social sciences

• Main Authors: Cecilia Schneider, Micaela Diaz
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2015-08-01
• Series: Revista Debates
• Subjects: Social Capital; Review; Theoretical Approaches; Empirical Consequences
• Online Access: http://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/debates/article/view/54928/34732

The many ways to define and use the concept of “social capital”, since the famous work of Robert Putnam, "Making Democracy Works" (1993), popularized the term, invite us to review and reflect about its nature and theoretical effectiveness. The conceptual and methodological problems of implementation arise from the lack of theoretical distinction between the approaches that originated it. For this reason, first it is necessary to identify the theoretical traditions on which the concept is based, distinguishing its three main representatives: Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman and Robert Putnam. Second, we focus on the critics and questions that arise from the work of Putnam. Third, we present the empirical consequences of these postulates, both in the academic research and in the intervention programs proposed by international organizations. Finally, this review allows us to conclude that this is a new concept to label an old idea, and its present use entails theoretical inconsistencies, vagueness and ambiguity, which has existed from the moment it was conceived.