Impact of social capital
Social capital can be experienced at a number of levels:
- The individual or micro level - the effects on individuals of having more or less social capital, such as having more friends or more supportive relationships
- The community or mezzo level - for example the social spill-over effects from living in a strongly bonded community. These have been shown to accrue to both those individuals who do and do not participate in the lives of these communities
- The national or macro level - national or regional impacts such as impacts on the overall level of economic growth and innovation and trust in democratic institutions.
1 S Aldrige, D Halpern et al (2002) 'Social Capital: A Discussion Paper'. London. Performance and Innovation Unit.
Models of social capital
Timebanks, Homeshares, Shared Lives and micro-enterprises describe different models of social capital.