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Title: Social Capital: Why We Need It and How We Can Create More of It

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2020

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Abstract: Formal institutions, such as government and markets, require an underpinning of more informal relationships that enable them to function. Without a certain degree of social trust, without norms of appropriate vs. inappropriate behavior, without strong institutions that uphold unifying and transcendent values, neither democracy nor the economy will flourish. Social capital, in short, is the glue that makes a society work. But it is not the panacea that some suggest. It is only in concert with good government, and a more inclusive prosperity, that it can address what ails America. Social capital is a somewhat amorphous and academic term, but the literature suggests that the decline in trust in others, in strong relationships, and in community ties is one reason that Trump was elected, one reason that our health and longevity have been deteriorating, and one reason that economic growth has slowed. What has gone wrong? The formation of character and the creation of prosocial norms depend on how families raise their children, how schools educate them, and how local institutions work to build a sense of community. All three of these institutions are now faltering. Rebuilding the kind of social trust and norms that make for a strong society is extremely difficult. Trust, norms, and institutions are easier to destroy than to revive. I end by suggesting a few ways in which we might create more social capital: universal national service, an enhanced subsidy for charitable giving, and additional resources and flexibility for local communities so that they can innovate and rebuild in ways that fit their own values and circumstances. Leadership that is at once moral and effective at every level from the neighborhood to the White House will be critical to that revival.

Url: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Sawhill_Social-Capital_final.pdf

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Authors: Sawhill, Isabel V

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