SOCIAL CAPITAL AND TRUST 0.1
June 2000

Edited by
Gabriel Badescu (gbadescu@mail.dntcj.ro) - Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration at Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Eric Uslaner (euslaner@gvpt.umd.edu) - Department of Government and Politics, University of Maryland.

A large number of recent studies indicate that the traditional conception of capital -- physical capital and human capital - needs to be broadened to include another form of capital, social capital. The new field of social capital studies focuses on the effect that social factors, such as attitudes, norms and social networks, have on the performance of social, political and economic institutions.

The books selected for this list present some of the ideas that have played a particularly important role in shaping current thought about social capital. They also examine the empirical research that has been vital to the formulation of these ideas.

Axelrod, Robert: The Evolution of Cooperation
1984, Basic Books, 256 pp., ISBN 0465021212
The book investigates the conditions that allow cooperation to emerge among individual or collective actors without the intervention of a central authority. The argumentation uses an innovative mode of empirical research based on a representation of the Prisoner's Dilemma game. Axelrod presents a large variety of applications ranging from biology to international relations.

Coleman, James S.: Foundations of Social Theory
1990, Harvard University Press, 993 pp., ISBN 0674312260
This book provides an extension of the research program of rational choice theory from individual to corporate actors. As part of this elaboration, the concept of social capital is defined and used to explain various forms of social behavior. In addition, Coleman analyses the means of creating, maintaining, and destroying social capital.

Kaase, Max and Newton, Kenneth: Beliefs in Government
1995, Oxford University Press, 217 pp., ISBN 0198294727
The authors try to crystallize the most important findings of the "Beliefs in Governments" project, one of the major cross-national comparative research projects in the social sciences. The volume documents how the political orientations of citizens in sixteen West European countries have developed since the early 1960s, and focuses on the implications of these changes for democratic institutions.

Mueller, John: Democracy, Capitalism, and Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery
1999, Princeton University Press, 352 pp., ISBN 0691001146
Mueller suggests that we expect too much from democracy and civil society, arguing that they are "natural" states of affairs. Instead, we should place more emphasis on developing markets, for economics has a more profound effect on how well we live.

North, Douglass C. :Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance
1990, Cambridge University Press, 152 pp., ISBN 0521397340
The book provides a theoretical foundation for the analysis of institutions and institutional change. The analytical framework is a modification of neoclassical theory and is intended to increase the understanding of the historical evolution of economies and to be a guide to policy for improving their performance.

Ostrom, Elinor: Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action
1990, Cambridge University Press, 280 pp., ISBN 0521405998
Ostrom explains how communities of individuals create different ways of governing public goods. She uses an institutional mode of analysis to explore the capabilities and limitations of self-governing situations for regulating many types of resources. Finally, she describes some fundamental characteristics of successful common-pool management schemes.

Putnam, Robert D. : Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
2000, New York, Simon and Schuster, 544 pp., ISBN 0684832836
Putnam argues that civic life in the United States has atrophied over the past 40 years. Americans participate in politics less often, give less to charity, and join fewer organizations. He attributes the decline to generational change and more time spent at home watching television.

Putnam, Robert D. : Making Democracy Work
1993, Harvard University Press, 258 pp., ISBN 0691037388
Due to the bold assertions and the rich evidence supported by complex methodology, this volume is now considered to be a standard for several domains of the social sciences. Using Italy as his focus, Putnam examines the relationship between democracy and economic development, demonstrating the primacy of cultural factors over either institutional or economic factors.

Verba, Sidney - Schlozman, Kay Lehman and Brady, Henry E. : Voice and Equality. Civic Voluntarism in American Politics
1995, Belknap Press, 640 pp., ISBN 0674942930
The book provides a comprehensive account of the participatory process in the United States. It presents an explanatory model of the process by which citizens come to be active in politics and discusses the consequences of inequalities in representation. The authors move beyond considering just demographic or social characteristics of the activists, to consider also the extent to which activists are representative of the general population in terms of attitudes, needs and involvement in governmental programs.

Warren, Mark (ed.): Democracy and Trust
1999, Cambridge University Press, 392 pp., ISBN 0521646871
The essays collected in this volume provide a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between democratic politics and trust. Different forms of trust are identified and discussed within an interdisciplinary framework, combining both theory and empirical findings.