在西方社会,社会科学家罗伯特。普特南(Robert Putnam )和弗朗西斯。福山(FrancisFukuyama)的研究使得“社会资本”(social capital )这个概念被广泛地用来描述社会赖以发展繁荣的人力资源。F.福山将社会资本定义为“社会力凝聚或厚植社会资本方式,……它主要地表现为信任”。而在普特南看来,社会资本是指一种关联性,这样的关联性让人们感受到彼此的存在,并产生与之相关的信任。
“社会资本的核心含义在于社会网络是具有价值的……就像物质的资本与物质对象有关,人力资本与人的属性有关,社会资本依赖于人们之间的相互联系———社会网络、互惠规范(norms of recipocity)与信任等,由此而产生社会资本的存量,往往具有自我增强性和可积累性。”(Robert Putnam ,2000:5)
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