AMANDA HYNAN FINAL THESIS PDF

Walker (2000) say the three widely acknowledged developers of social capital theory
are Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman and Robert Putnam. Schuller et al. (2000) map
their contributions as follows:
Bourdieu defined social capital as the collectively-owned capital generated
through the actual or potential resources available to all members of a
recognised and durable network and placed particular emphasis on how elite
groups used their contacts to perpetuate privilege.
Coleman’s work on social capital was particularly influential and brought
together the disciplines of sociology and economics and emphasised the
benefits of acquiring educational credentials which facilitate the actions of
actors either at an individual or a collective level and extended to non-elite
groups.
Putnam has been the most successful author to popularize the concept globally
and at a policy level. He defined three key social capital features as: networks,
norms and trust. His work was criticised, like Coleman’s, for failing to
recognise issues of power and conflict which he denied by suggesting
inequality by default cannot support social capital. His recent work has
identified social capital solely with networks.
Putnam introduced two basic forms of social capital: bridging and bonding which
support different needs (Field, 2008). Bridging attempts to explain how external
assets can be utilised to encompass broader identities, whereas bonding aims to
represent in-group loyalty. The concept of social capital is in many spheres regarded
as positive and has had huge influence on social policy developments. However, any
type of group has the potential to alienate other groups, allowing malevolent practices
to flourish and promote inequality by advancing their own interests. Holt (2008, 2010)
argues social capital can be envisaged as embodied which she suggests is helpful for
recognising how disadvantage is
“embedded in everyday practices within specific social networks” (2010, p. 26).
She suggests many social commentators are disturbed by the neoliberal undertones of
social capital theory.
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