The Concept of Social Capital

The concept of social capital has been used to represent the extent of social cohesion that is found in communities and it entails the processes between individuals or groups, which create networks, social trust and customs, and necessitate co-operation and co-ordination for mutual gain. Social capital is a significant determinant of health in older people and has been the focus on the ageing population in policymaking. Healthy ageing strategies are nowadays essential during public policy formulations, because the subject has become a main concern for economic sustainability and public health. Health policy makers can exploit the social capital benefits and include an assessment of the living conditions of elderly patients in the community into routine clinical care and assessment.

The major difference between Coleman’s and Bourdieu’s explanations lies in why and how social processes build up. According to the definition given by Bourdieu, it can be argued that social processes are controlled by the fundamental economic organizations, whereas Coleman’s definition claims social processes are formed by the people’s free will. Bourdieu (1985) argues that the existence of profit is the reason behind the solidarity making group existence feasible in the first place. Consequently, he argues that the creation of social capital is underlined by the structural economic organization. However, according to Coleman (1988), social capital is formed by purposeful and rational individuals who create it with the sole purpose of making the most of their individual opportunities. Consequently, he sees the concept of social capital as a type of contract, which is normally made between people unrestrained by the fundamental economic factors. In this ...

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... capital in detail and demonstrate how the concept has been applied in health and social policy and various programs relating to the elderly population.

Works Cited

Bourdieu, P. (1985). “Chapter 9: The forms of capital.” In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education. West Port, CT: Greenwood Press.

Cannuscio, C., Block, J., & Kawachi, I. (2003). Social capital and successful aging: The role of senior housing. Annals of Internal Medicine, 139(2), 395-399.

Coleman, J. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94 (Supplement), s95-s120.

Dasgupta, P., & Serageldin, I. (2001). Social capital: a multifaceted perspective. Washington, DC: World Bank Publications.

Graczyk, J. (2002). Social capital and social wellbeing (Discussion Paper). Australian Bureau of Statistics.