BookDOI
Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy
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Putnam et al. as discussed by the authors analyzed the efficacy of these governments in such fields as agriculture, housing, and health services, revealing patterns of associationism, trust, and cooperation that facilitate good governance and economic prosperity.Abstract:
Why do some democratic governments succeed and others fail? In a book that has received attention from policymakers and civic activists in America and around the world, Robert Putnam and his collaborators offer empirical evidence for the importance of "civic community" in developing successful institutions Their focus is on a unique experiment begun in 1970 when Italy created new governments for each of its regions After spending two decades analyzing the efficacy of these governments in such fields as agriculture, housing, and health services, they reveal patterns of associationism, trust, and cooperation that facilitate good governance and economic prosperityread more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Decentralization and Governance
TL;DR: Decentralization is one of the most important reforms of the past generation, both in terms of the number of countries affected and the potentially deep implications for the nature and quality of governance.
Journal ArticleDOI
Entrepreneurship and Social Capital: Analysing the Impact of Social Networks on Entrepreneurial Activity from a Rational Action Perspective
Mark Casson,Marina Della Giusta +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the importance of building local and regional entrepreneurial networks in order to improve economic performance and regeneration, however, there are many types of network, and diffe...
Journal ArticleDOI
Toward an Organizational Model of Achievement in High Schools: The Significance of Collective Efficacy
TL;DR: In this article, a theoretical model to explain school achievement in high schools is developed and tested, and collective efficacy is the key variable in a proposed theoretical system that also includes academic press and socioeconomic status.
Journal ArticleDOI
Placing social capital
Giles Mohan,John Mohan +1 more
Abstract: This paper reviews the contribution that the concept of social capital might make to geography, and the contribution geography might make to the analysis of social capital. We begin by summarizing the conceptual origins and dimensions of social capital, in the process of which we distinguish it from several other social properties (human and cultural capital; social networks). We then summarize key criticisms of the concept, especially those levelled at the work of Robert Putnam. The core of the paper is a discussion of the issue of whether there might be a geography of social capital. We consider links between geographical debates and the concept of social capital, and we assess the difficulties of deriving spatially disaggregated measures of social capital. We illustrate this discussion with reference to literature on three sets of issues: the question of 'institutional tissue' and its effects on regional development; the understanding of health inequalities; and the analysis of comparative government performance. In conclusion, we argue that the popularity of the concept reflects a combination of academic and political developments, notably the search for ostensibly 'costless' policies of redistribution on the part of centrist governments. We therefore conclude with a discussion of the practical applications of the concept in different contexts.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Effect of Ethnic Diversity and Community Disadvantage on Social Cohesion: A Multi-Level Analysis of Social Capital and Interethnic Relations in UK Communities
TL;DR: The authors found that while increasing diversity does have a negative impact on social capital, it simultaneously improves perceptions of, and relations between, ethnic groups and showed that forming connecting ties in diverse environments plays a significant role in the positive relationship between diversity and tolerance, and that the presence of ''bridging? ties can also reduce the negative impact of diversity on the social capital.