Social Capital and Public Affairs

The critical importance of civic engagement to issues of democratization and economic development, in the United States and in developing countries, was the focus of this Academy project. With the aim of sharpening the concept of “social capital” — that is, social networks, norms, institutions and trust — through sustained dialogue among social theorists and empirical researchers, the project had three main areas of focus: economic development, American urban and social issues, and democratic governance.

The resulting volume on democratic governance sought to unravel why — in an era when democracy as a form of government has triumphed in many parts of the world — citizens of the most established and prosperous democracies (United States and Canada, Western European nations, and Japan) increasingly report dissatisfaction and frustration with their governments.