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Social
Capital and Poverty in Developing Countries
This section is devoted to the role of social interactions
and social capital in the fight against poverty and inequalities
in developing countries. Particular consideration is given
to the ability of social interactions to mitigate the effects
of income inequalities, to improve the capabilities and the
quality of life of the poors, to foster productivity and innovation
in rural areas, and to support the development of microcredit
programmes.
• Social interactions, health and the quality
of life in urban and rural areas
Studies collected in this section show how different forms
of social capital may mitigate the effects of poverty and
inequalities. For example, social networks make possible the
creation of spontaneous mechanisms of informal insurance;
Collective action, often in the form of voluntary organizations,
can improve the efficiency of public services delivery and/or
of public social protection systems.
• Social capital, productivity and innovation
in rural areas
This section focuses on the ability of different forms of
social capital to foster or to hamper the diffusion of knowledge
and innovation.
• Social capital and microcredit
Grameen Bank's
experience has shown that developing microcredit programmes
requires the formation of dense horizontal networks and the
creation of well-functioning links between such networks and
the higher levels of programmes' management.
• Development assistance, civil society,
social capital, and poverty reduction
This section deals with the role of development assistance
in poverty reduction, with a particular focus on the ability
to foster participatory processes, civil society's role in
the political debate, and social capital formation.
• Readings on other aspects of the relationship
between social interactions and poverty in developing countries
Waiting for new, more specific, categories, this section collects,
temporarily in a residual way, readings on other topics related
to the relationship between social capital and poverty. Considered
studies address topics like the role of the state, the relevance
of the informal economy, and the relationship between different
forms of social capital (i.e. bonding, bridging, and linking
social capital) in poverty reduction processes.
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