Page "Social capital" Paragraph 16

Early attempts to define social capital focused on the degree to which social capital as a resource should be used for public good or for the benefit of individuals.

Putnam suggested that social capital would facilitate co-operation and mutually supportive relations in communities and nations and would therefore be a valuable means of combating many of the social disorders inherent in modern societies, for example crime.

In contrast to those focusing on the individual benefit derived from the web of social relationships and ties individual actors find themselves in, attribute social capital to increased personal access to information and skill sets and enhanced power.

According to this view, individuals could use social capital to further their own career prospects, rather than for the good of organisations.