Advanced Introduction to Social Capital

Reviews / Votes

'Cook (Stanford Univ.) brings decades of scholarship on social capital and trust to her contribution to the Elgar Advanced Introduction series-slim volumes that present theory, empirical research, and current directions in social science for scholars seeking an introduction to important topics, such as social capital. Beginning with the work of Emile Durkheim, sociologists have posed the transcendental question: how is social solidarity possible in complex urban social structures? Robert Putnam's pioneering work Bowling Alone (2000) identifies the decline in we-oriented action, community participation, the legitimacy of societal institutions, and trust, all of which threatens democracy. Cook considers recent events from the 2016 election, the January 6 insurrection, the polarization of political discourse that demonizes opposition, and the climate crisis as exacerbating the trends that Putnam identified. She investigates three dimensions of social capital with respective chapters on networks, norms, and trust. Those seeking a framework for societal reform will be disappointed in the concluding chapter, "Conclusions and the path forward," which succinctly summarizes the work of Putnam and his critics and the crises of modern times but fails to offer practical solutions. A comprehensive consideration of social capital theory and research that provides an indispensable introduction to the field.' -- J. H. Rubin, CHOICE 'Karen S. Cook, one of the most distinguished contributors to the research on trust and social capital, has done us an enormous service with her Advanced Introduction to Social Capital. Far more than an Introduction, this book is also a critical review, a presentation of new questions, and a comprehensive case for importance of studying trust, social capital, and their relation to understand just about every major aspect of contemporary society, from health, to crime, to cyberspace, to status, to social inequality. Newcomers will find a clear, engaging, and well-written summary of the field; experts will find an astute, fresh perspective that puts trust at the heart of the social order, and that somehow manages to introduce new questions to a well-established literature. Advanced Introduction to Social Capital is a fantastic and strongly-recommended book.' -- Mario L. Small, Columbia University, US 'In recent years, the concept of social capital has become a widely cited but often misused black box deployed willy-nilly to explain any number of societal outcomes. Karen Cook's masterful Advanced Introduction to Social Capital fills in the black box by providing much needed theoretical and substantive clarity about what social capital is, where it comes from, and how it can function for good or for ill in contemporary human societies.' -- Douglas S. Massey, The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, US