Building Social Capital for Community Revitalization

The concept of “social capital” is now widely used across sociology and beyond. Here, we focus on building social capital from the perspective of community revitalization.

• What Is Social Capital?
• What Is Generalized Reciprocity?
• How Do We Build Social Capital?
• Religion and Social Capital
• What Kind of Social Capital Should We Aim For?

What Is Social Capital?

In recent years, the concept of social capital has become increasingly common. A leading scholar is Professor Robert Putnam (Political Science) of Harvard University, who defines social capital as "connections between individuals, that is, social networks, and the norms of reciprocity and trust that arise from them" (Bowling Alone, p. 14).

Social capital, a concept widely used not only in sociology but also in political science and management, should ideally be translated as "social capital," but is often translated as "social relationship capital" to emphasize that it refers to social networks rather than physical capital.

When social capital is applied to a community, its construction fosters cooperation within that community, leading to smoother operations in most areas. It is believed that this will facilitate the smooth functioning of community needs such as public safety, disaster prevention, and social welfare.

Source: Created by the author

Today, as community-based welfare becomes central to social welfare, strengthening it requires community-building first—and community-building, in turn, requires building social capital at the local level. This approach is thought to apply to most community-revitalization efforts, whether in cities or rural areas.

What Is Generalized Reciprocity?

The key concept of social capital, reciprocity, refers to the sense of mutual support. While the saying "kindness is never wasted" might sound old-fashioned, that's what reciprocity means. Putnam rephrased this as "general reciprocity." It involves the "belief" that if you help a neighbor in need, you will eventually be able to help them in return.

Recent research on social capital is almost entirely empirical. Efforts have been made to visualize social capital by setting indicators and quantifying them. The effects of "mutual assistance," once criticized as patriarchal, are being re-evaluated as evidence-based (EB).

Furthermore, the idea that urban communities collapse due to urbanization, which had long been developed primarily by the Chicago School, has been revised, and Wellman's theory, which advocates for the maintenance of urban communities, has gained support.

How Do We Build Social Capital?

So how can social capital be built? While there is certainly a need for the numerous studies currently being conducted that measure social networks, it is perhaps more important to consider how to build social capital that contributes to local and regional revitalization.

In fact, the role that religion plays in social capital is attracting attention. Putnam points out that "communities of faith where people pray together (author's note: = Christian churches and their related organizations) are of the single greatest importance in the accumulation of social capital in the United States" (Bowling Alone, p. 73).

Putnam further says, "I do this for you now, believing that you or someone else will eventually reciprocate, even if I don't expect anything to come back immediately or even if I don't know who you are" (ibid.).

Ten years after the publication of Bowling Alone, Putnam co-published Grace in America, which could be considered the core of American social capital. The cover reads, "How religion divides and connects society." It is said that the American Christian society, while being the most fervent in its adherence to various Christian denominations within Western society, does not exclude diversity, and this is the source of America's rich social capital.

Religion and Social Capital

That said, this does not mean a simple return to the past. Communities grounded in religious identity can generate powerful solidarity, but also side effects. In classic sociological theories of community, strong internal cohesion can go hand-in-hand with exclusion of outsiders—what Max Weber called the community’s “double ethic” (『経済史』下巻/ General Economic History). Putnam likewise raises this dark side of social capital: a group can be endlessly tolerant toward insiders while becoming hostile toward those outside it.

What Kind of Social Capital Should We Aim For?

How can we build community social capital while avoiding exclusivity? Putnam argues that declining "citizen participation" in the United States is key. Can the same be said for Japan? How should we understand the current situation where "citizen participation," which has been repeatedly emphasized by the government, remains merely formal? I

believe that the social capital we should aim for is both a bonding type and a balanced type of social capital, "bridging," as pointed out by Putnam.

Source: Created by the author

The search for solutions to the long-standing community challenges continues in Japan, focusing on how to build or cultivate social capital that is cohesive yet not exclusive and open to the outside world. The key may lie in research into what could be called a "Japanese-style" social capital, and it may also overlap with the question of who should coordinate local governance (government by government, NPOs, corporations, and citizens—the author would like to add schools to this list), a topic of discussion in recent years.

(This article is an edited and revised version of an article from the February 2024 issue of "EN-ICHI FORUM")

References

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