The importance of social capital for sustainable development, is by now well recognized. Anthropologists, sociologists, political scientists, and economists have in their own ways, demonstrated the critical role of institutions, networks, and their supporting norms and values, for the success of development interventions. This success often hinges on accurate assessments of social capital in target communities. But the nature, and impact of social capital - the institutions, relationships, attitudes, and values that govern interactions among people - are not easily quantified. "Understanding and Measuring Social Capital" provides a conceptual review, and measurement tools, in a form readily available for development practitioners. The book discusses the respective value of quantitative, and qualitative approaches to the analysis of social capital, illustrating the discussion with examples, and case studies from many countries. It also presents the Social Capital Assessment Tool, which combines quantitative, and qualitative instruments to measure social capital at the level of household, community, and organization, drawing on multidisciplinary, empirical experiences, an application which can provide project managers with valuable baseline, and monitoring information about social capital in its different dimensions.

Understanding and Measuring Social Capital: A Multidisciplinary Tool for Practitioners

Solidarity. Hidden Histories and Geographies of Internationalism

The Blackwell Companion To Social MovementsThe Blackwell Companion To Social Movements, edited by SnowDavid A., SouleSarah A., and KriesiHanspeter. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007. 776 pp. $189.95 cloth. ISBN: 9780631226697.

The European identity

I thought I was dead, but not anymore. After I started school, I now believe I can be just like any other person.” (Girl with a visual impairment, 18 years old, Ethiopia) One-third of children who are out of school – 19 million* – have a disability Ethiopia: GAGE survey data found adolescents with disabilities are 14% less likely to be enrolled and those in school complete half a year less schooling 14%

/pdf/on-education-and-learning-3nsz3bsaxi.pdf

On education and learning

Europeans proclaim a readiness to engage for solidarity in support of others, even across their most immediate environment. However, our knowledge is rather limited on how widespread transnational ...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0002764218823836

European Transnational Solidarity: Citizenship in Action?:

Catholic and (post)Communist organizations play a crucial role in the political traditions and functioning of civil society both in Italy and in Poland. The Catholic and (post)Communist affiliation of an organization still plays a crucial role from both a social and a political point of view, with a consequent rise of tension between these two ideological and institutional traditions. During the post-WWII period, most civil society organizations in Italy were connected either to the Communist Party or to the Christian Democrats (Biorcio 2007) as a result of a deliberate political effort to influence civil society more broadly. Similarly in Poland, the majority of older civil society organizations were either quangos, officially acknowledged by the Communist regime, or organizations that stemmed from the Catholic Solidarnośc movement (Rose-Ackerman 2008: 54, Leś 2000: 193).

Inheriting Divisions? The Role of Catholic and Leftist Affiliation in Local Cooperation Networks: The Case of Italy and Poland

The notion of solidarity plays an important role in debates about the future of Europe. Yet, it can be used in a diverse or even contradictory manner as contemporary discussions about refugees in E...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1360780420962808

What Is Solidarity About? Views of Transnational Organisations’ Activists in Germany, Poland, and Greece:

This text is an analysis of the inequalities and determinants of the level of "civic" social capital in Poland. It focuses on forms of social capital tied to the participation of individuals in formalized, horizontal structures of the Polish public sphere. They correspond to a kind of "bridging" capital, that is, one that integrates different social groups. The text demonstrates that the state of civic social capital in Poland is shaped not only by education, income, age, and profession but also by factors resulting from uniquely Polish conditions and institutional legacies, namely, strong ties to the Catholic Church and bonds with family and friends.

Islands of Civic Engagement

This text is an analysis of the inequalities and determinants of the level of "civic" social capital in Poland. It focuses on forms of social capital tied to the participation of individuals in formalized, horizontal structures of the Polish public sphere. They correspond to a kind of "bridging" capital, that is, one that integrates different social groups. The text demonstrates that the state of civic social capital in Poland is shaped not only by education, income, age, and profession but also by factors resulting from uniquely Polish conditions and institutional lega- cies, namely, strong ties to the Catholic Church and bonds with family and friends.

Maria Theiss

Papers

European Transnational Solidarity: Citizenship in Action?:

Inheriting Divisions? The Role of Catholic and Leftist Affiliation in Local Cooperation Networks: The Case of Italy and Poland

What Is Solidarity About? Views of Transnational Organisations’ Activists in Germany, Poland, and Greece:

Islands of Civic Engagement

Islands of Civic Engagement: Differences in the Level of Civic-Associational Social Capital