I've pondered a few times the curious way in which the term 'social capital' (and the debate around it) seemed to disappear from publicly articulated policy in the last few years. The notions of well-being and happiness flickered on the screen, for a time, presumably in anticipation of greater resonance.
Some people of course have kept talking about s.c. anyway, not least the excellent North East Social Capital Forum, which has now organised a conference 'Social cohesion and community wellbeing: is social capital the secret ingredient?' for 28 September in Sunderland.
And here's a recent report by Marilyn Taylor for the Department for Communities and Local Government, on Neighbourhood management and social capital. The report is based on three case studies. It looks at activities which can be seen to contribute to social capital and explores ways in which their impact can be assessed. Is the term making a come-back because we can't do without it, or is this just a bit of conceptual archaeology?
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