Civil Society and Social Capital

Week 9: Civil Society and Social Capital

• Warning on Individualism

  • Alexis de Tocqueville's observation:

  • Individualism leads to isolation among citizens.

  • Citizens may retreat to private circles (family, friends).

  • This results in neglect of larger societal responsibilities.

Defining Civil Society

• Concept:

  • Civil society refers to a sphere of social interaction that exists between the state and private life.

  • Encompasses voluntary associations, social movements, public communication, and contact.

Civil Society Characteristics

• Role of the State:

  • Ernest Gellner's insights from Conditions of Liberty:

  1. Monopolization of Truth by the State:

     • Applied Marxism: The state undermines societal freedom and independence by controlling narratives.

  2. Real Civil Society:

     • Defined not only by a strong society but also by a robust state.

  3. Caution Against Universalization:

     • The Western concept of civil society should not be naïvely universalized as a global standard.

Civic Community and Democratic Government

• Inquiry:

  • Does the effectiveness of democratic governance depend on a vibrant civic community?

  • Civic Community Attributes:

  1. Active participation in community affairs prioritizing public good over individual interests.

  2. Emphasis on solidarity, trust, and tolerance among members.

• Assessment of Civicness:

  1. Define civicness by assessing associational activities, union memberships, newspaper readership, and political engagement.

  2. Investigate intercorrelations among these measures.

  3. Examine the relationship between civicness and the performance of institutions.

Civic Community Performance

• Visual Representation (Figure 4.4):

  • Classifies Italian regions based on levels of civicness:

  • Most Civic, Average, Least Civic.

• Civic Community Performance Correlation:

  • A displayed correlation coefficient:

  • $r = 0.92$

  • Highlights the strong relationship between civic community attributes and institutional performance.

The Concept of Social Capital

• Definition:

  • Social Capital encompasses norms of reciprocity and networks fostering civic engagement.

• Social Component:

  • Trust is constructed as an emergent property of society through its norms, networks, and trustworthiness, rather than being attributed to individuals.

• Investment Aspect:

  • Social capital is built through interaction and 'investment'.

• Example:

  • Rotating Credit Associations serve as an illustration of social capital in action.

Eight Forms of Capital

• Types of Capital:

  1. Social Capital

  2. Intellectual Capital

  3. Experiential Capital

  4. Spiritual Capital

  5. Cultural Capital

  6. Living Capital

  7. Material Capital

  8. Financial Capital

Northern Italy’s Structural Influences

• Geographic and Political Structure:

  • Italy is divided into distinct regions:

  1. Southern regions under Norman monarchy.

  2. Northern regions as republican city-states.

• Vertical vs. Horizontal Relationships:

  • Monarchical relationships characterized by hierarchy.

  • City-state relationships exemplified by horizontal connections among elites.

Historical Map Context

• Genoa, Venice, and Other Regions (Figure 5.1):

  • Displays the nature of political structures around 1300, indicating communal republics versus autocratic trends.

Criticisms of Putnam’s Analysis

• Questions Raised:

  1. Why was Norman rule's impact different in England and Italy?

  2. Consideration of fascism's place in Italy's civil society.

  3. Exploration of Italy's 'southern problem' in regards to quasi-colonialism.

  4. Questions regarding the preservation of civicness over centuries despite the disappearance of republics.

  5. The dual nature of social capital: Can 'dark aspects' like criminal gang loyalty be viewed as social capital?

  6. Implications of wider structural forces such as class, power dynamics, and inequality.

The Role of Communication in Community Building

• Impact of Technology:

  • Potential for new communication technologies to rebuild community ties, yet challenges remain:

  • Often interactions are limited to like-minded individuals.

  • Electronic communication may lack the intimacy of face-to-face interactions.

Factors Influencing Successful Societies

• Critical Social Factors:

  • Key outcomes correlate with:

  1. Access to economic resources.

  2. Institutional practices and cultural frameworks, including:

     • Social networks

     • Associational density.

     • Social hierarchy positions.

     • Symbolic meanings and structures.

• Health Implications:

  • Social relationships contribute significantly to health and well-being.

  • This perspective challenges liberal individualism, asserting that individuals are socially embedded rather than isolated.

• Institutional Context:

  • The effectiveness of governance may depend on aligning with local cultural contexts.

  • Examples:

  • Botswana: Weberian state structure.

  • Uganda: Utilizes tribal community frameworks for managing health issues like AIDS.