Social Capital

This article explores the concept of social capital and its consequences, and its relevance for the practice and study of urban politics. It analyses the definitions of social capital in political science literature, considering it as a dependent variable in urban politics. The analysis indicates that, unless it is modified, social capital does not fit with much of the reigning approach to urban political science, which is the urban political economy approach, and explains that this approach focuses on the interplay between polity and the economy at the local level, and its consequences for public policy.