Social Capital and Space

Abstract

Rad razmatra prostorne aspekte socijalnog kapitala. U prvom delu rada razmatramo kako se prostor shvata u ključnim teorijama socijalnog kapitala. Uključene su tri grupe teorija o socijalnom kapitalu: ključni autori (Bourdieu, Coleman, Putnam), ekonomske/razvojne teorije i mrežne teorije. Analiza pokazuje da autori u različitoj meri shvataju prostor u zavisnosti od svojih teorijskih pristupa socijalnom kapitalu. Drugi deo rada je produbljena komparativna analiza dinamike socijalnog kapitala u teoriji, istraživanjima i javnoj politici. Glavni cilj ovog dela rada je da razumevanje tri prostorne dimenzije socijalnog kapitala: prostorni okvir, prostorna distanca i mobilnost aktera. Istraživanja pokazuju da prostorne determinante ne utiču isto na sve socijalne aktere i da su neki tipovi socijalnog kapitala više podložni efektima prostornih dimenzija. Posebno poglavlje je posvećeno socijalnom kapitalu i prostoru u javnoj politici. Programi javne politike su manifestacija dugotrajne političke tendencije stvaranja željenih formi društvenosti preinačavanjem prostornih determinanti. U javnopolitičkim programima socijalnog urbanizma dominira model lokalne zajednice koja predstavlja optimalni okvir za razvoj socijalnog kapitala.The paper explores the spatial aspects of social capital. In the first part of the paper we provide an overview of the space dimension in relevant theories of social capital. Three approaches to social capital are included: key theories (Bourdieu, Coleman, Putnam), economic/ development theories and network theories. Differences among the authors with regard to spatial dimensions are based on different conceptualizations of social capital. The second part of the paper is an in-depth comparative analysis of spatial dynamics of social capital in theory, research and public policy. The main goal of this part of the paper is to examine three spatial dimensions of social capital: spatial framework, space distance and mobility of social agents. The research-based results indicate that space does not have the same effect on different social agents and that some types of social capital are more determined by space dimensions. The last chapter focuses on the public policy conceptualizion of social capital and space. The space-based manipulation of social capital in public policy reflects the long-lasting political tendency to modify sociability through the manipulation of spatial factors. The programs of social urbanism are based on the local community as the optimal spatial framework for social capital development