Role of Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Social Capital: A Review

Social capital has been one of the most controversial concepts in social science in the 1990s. There are many definitions attached to the concept which leads to contradiction about what constitutes "social capital". These range from social energy, community spirit, social bonds, civic virtue, community networks, social ozone, extended friendships, community life, social resources, informal and formal networks, good neighborliness and social glue. A neo-Marxist approach places greater emphasis on access to resources and issues of power in society. Baum (2000) suggests that Bourdieu emphasized the role played by different forms of capital in the reproduction of unequal power relations. Coleman however takes rational action as a starting point and suggests that "Social capital is defined by its function; it is not a single entity, but a variety of different entities having characteristics in common: they all consist of some aspect of a social structure and they facilitate certain actions of individuals who are within the structure." This Paper seeks to highlight the role of NGO in building social capital through an in-depth content analysis of literature.