Social Capital

Social capital is the value embedded in relationships — the trust, norms, and networks that make collective action possible. Sociologist Robert Putnam distinguished two types:

• 🌿Bonding capital — strong ties within a group (family, close friends, tight-knit communities). High in closeness; can be insular.
• 🌿Bridging capital — weaker ties *across* different groups (acquaintances, colleagues, neighbors of different backgrounds). Lower in intimacy; high in information flow and opportunity.

Why it matters: - Communities with high social capital recover faster from disasters, have lower crime rates, and produce more cooperative economic activity - Trust is both an input and an output — each cooperation success builds more trust - It is simultaneously a private good (your network benefits you) and a public good (your trustworthiness benefits everyone you interact with)

The decay problem: Social capital erodes when institutions fail, inequality grows, or people withdraw from public life. Robert Putnam's *Bowling Alone* (2000) documented its sharp decline in the United States over the second half of the 20th century.

Generosity is one of the most reliable ways to *build* social capital: the gift creates obligation, gratitude, and trust — all of which strengthen the web.