December 13, 2001 | Read Time: 1 minute
Beyond Tocqueville: Civil Society and the Social Capital Debate in Comparative Perspective
edited by Mario Diani, Bob Edwards, and Michael W. Foley
This book is intended to “provide readers with both theoretical and empirical bases for evaluating current claims about the virtues of ‘civil society’ and ‘social capital’ in fostering civic engagement and healthy democracy,” write the editors.
The 20 essays they have compiled examine the role that civic associations play in societies around the world. For example, essays focus on the impact that citizens’ participation in civic organizations has on governments and the effects of economic changes on peoples’ civic attitudes and behaviors.
The concluding essay, written by the editors, examines the concept of “social capital.” They argue that it can be defined neither simply by norms and attitudes, such as trust, nor by participation in social and civic networks. Social capital, they say, is the concurrence of civic and social networks with financial and political resources.
Mario Diani is professor of sociology at Strathclyde University in Glasgow; Bob Edwards is assistant professor of sociology at East Carolina University; and Michael W. Foley is associate professor of politics at the Catholic University of America.
Publisher: University Press of New England, 23 South Main Street, Hanover, N.H. 03755-2055; (603) 643-7100; fax (603) 643-7117; http://www.upne.com; 340 pages; $25; I.S.B.N. 1-58465-125-3.
