What is social capital? How is it observed and reliably measured? What effects does social capital have for outcomes in the realms of economic development, democratic governance, and civic peace? The papers included within this selection address these questions.
These projects help generate a clearer understanding about whether social capital is a tangible, reliable and predictable asset, whether it is consistent over time, whether its levels can be reasonably well predicted with the help of social science theory, and whether it can be invested in profitably over a reasonable period of time. A tool for measuring social capital is provided and discussed in terms of conceptual and theoretical underpinnings.
