Social capital as a core concept

Most citizen collectives are used to keeping their financial capital in view and annually accounting for deficits or surpluses. The same exercise could also apply to social capital. But what is social capital, and why is it important?

The concept of social capital refers to the strength and durability of interpersonal relationships and the pooling of knowledge and experience that these relationships enable. This type of capital significantly contributes to the potential of a group of citizens or a community.

In the context of a citizen collective, social capital concerns the (mutual) knowledge and contacts present among the collective’s members. This social capital can be used as a resource to achieve various goals: recruiting external allies, influencing external stakeholders, developing new ideas and services, attracting new members, and strengthening a sense of 'we'. Both existing and newly built social capital contribute to members’ mutual engagement and, consequently, to trust in the collective. A citizen collective benefits when its social capital is maintained and, if necessary, strengthened.