SOCIAL CAPITAL

‘Social capital’ has often been used as a conceptual tool in the social sciences for decades. Social capital has been defined and used as a powerful explanatory agent in a myriad of ways and through a variety of contexts. Almost all disciplines have included in their research frameworks the characteristics and value of social capital; from development economics to social psychology; from social health research to education attainment studies, from criminology to anthropology. Social capital is not without its critics however, and as such is a significant and broadly used framework that its critics described as outdated and problematic particularly in relation to measurement.

Because of its significance and also the controversies associated with this concept, the International Journal of Social Inquiry (IJSI) is pleased to announce a special issue that focuses on social capital, its application and its critics from a range of disciplines that have been influenced by this concept. While empirical papers are strongly encouraged, theoretical and conceptual contributions that address issues arising from the debates about social capital within social science research are particularly welcome. Contributors may choose such topics;

-          Understanding social capital in unusual ways

-          Misunderstanding and misusing social capital

-          Measuring and alternative measuring of social capital

-          Bonding and bridging social capital

-          Criticising social capital research

-          Theoretical roots of social capital and debate between them: Bourdieu vs. Coleman 

            vs. Putnam

-          Social capital, social cohesion and solidarity

-          Social capital effects to job seeking

-          Social capital in youth studies

-          Social capital and educational attainment

-          Citizenship research and social capital

-          Welfare and social capital

-          NGOs and social capital

-          Social capital and Third World welfare regimes

-          Anthropological Relevance and social capital

-          Social capital and social mobility

-          Poverty reduction effects of social capital

-          Social capital and crime

-          Social capital and health

-          Neo – liberal agenda, World Bank reports and social capital

-          And other related topics

The details for submission of manuscripts are available on the Journal website at

http://www.socialinquiry.org/manuscriptguidelines.asp

The papers for this edition are due by the 1st of October, 2009.

International Journal of Social Inquiry (IJSI) is a peer reviewed interdisciplinary journal publishing theoretical and empirical work that uses a variety of methodological approaches that advance the study of social science that is related to the whole spectrum of society.

The International Journal of Social Inquiry is published by Uludag University Social Sciences Institute, in collaboration with RMIT University, James Cook University and Washington State University.