Bonham - Building an inclusive community through social capital: The role of volunteering in reaching those on the edge of community

Looks at volunteering, a component of social capital, and its uniting effects on society

• Positive effects:

  • Helps in building inclusive communities because those who volunteer can build deeper relational networks with people who they would not otherwise come into contact

  • More diverse and heterogeneous groups have higher levels of trust and cohesion → better for society

  • Volunteering has transformational effects on the people involved (volunteers and beneficiaries) and society as a whole

Argues that volunteering initiatives can generate other types of capital, not just produce either a public or private good