Social capital, exclusion, and the North East IPPR North, 7th Sept 2006 Dr. David Halpern, Prime Ministers Strategy Unit.

• Slide 1

Social capital, exclusion, and the North East IPPR North, 7th Sept 2006 Dr. David Halpern, Prime Ministers Strategy Unit Slide 2 Social capital What is it? Why does it matter? How the NE doing? What can we do to build it? Slide 3 Slide 4 Definition Coleman (1988) Bourdieu (1992) Putnam (1993-2002) World Bank Networks, Norms, Sanctions Slide 5 Slide 6 Social trust Wide variations Ongoing work Slide 7 Why is it important? Slide 8 Economic effects Individual: Employment and earnings; Meso: NY diamond market, firms; Macro:national & regional differences; Path:transaction costs & information. Slide 9 Health Indiv: social support - longitudinal data Meso: Roseto, Finland Macro:US states, but nations? Path:stress reaction and support Slide 10 Slide 11 Crime Indiv: personal histories, prison Meso: neighbourhood and peer effects Macro:US states, national differences Path:social control and respect Slide 12 and fear Fear often has little relationship to risk... but a strong relationship to social trust. Slide 13 Education Indiv: family influences Meso: school & other ecological effects Macro:US states, OECD literacy Path:aspiration Slide 14 Government Indiv: housing self-management Meso: Italian case + Macro:national -> supra-national Path:virtuous citizens Slide 15 And exclusion? Slide 16 The middle class have more MenWomen British Household Panel Survey, 1999. From Li, Savage and Pickles, 2003 Slide 17 The deprived see their neighbours more, but trust them less Slide 18 Dark side Social capital isnt always good... Indiv: Peer groups (sometimes) Meso: Mafia; class Macro:Ethnic conflict Slide 19 How is the NE doing? Slide 20 Give regular (monthly) informal voluntary help (4th/10) Slide 21 If a child was being rude to an adult, people in my local neighbourhood would be very likely to do something about it (7th/10) Slide 22 If a children spray-painting graffiti on a local building, people in my local neighbourhood would be very likely to do something about it (9th/10) Slide 23 Give any regular (monthly) activity civic, formal/informal volunteering (9th/10) Slide 24 If a group of local children playing truant from school, people in my local neighbourhood would be very likely to do something about it (9th/10) Slide 25 If there was a fight near my home and someone was being beaten up/threatened, people in my local neighbourhood would be very likely to do something about it (9th/10) Slide 26 many of the people in my neighbourhood can be trusted (9th/10) Slide 27 Any civil renewal activities* in past 12 months? (10th/10) * Includes membership of local decision-making groups Slide 28 Give regular (monthly) formal voluntary help (10th/10) Slide 29 People in my neighbourhood would be very likely to participate if asked by a local organisation to help solve a community problem(10th/10) Slide 30 I agree that I can influence decisions affecting my local area (10th/10) Slide 31 What can we do? Slide 32 Slide 33 Causes? Family, education, memberships Urban design and transport, mobility, scale, social and ethnic heterogeneity History, culture, social structures & hierarchy, economic inequality Labour market trends, TV and individualised consumption, individual values Slide 34 How?...Micro-level Millennium Volunteers (16-24) Connexions (13-19) Family & parenting support Mentoring - early and whole group Potential offenders - positive experiences Volunteering - short but adventurous? Other - personal relationships? Slide 35 How?...Meso-level Homezones; housing mix; devolution... community asset- based welfare; ICT communities built environment chains out of poverty Other - regional, study groups... Slide 36 How?...Macro-level Citizenship education; Public service broadcasting service learning - 14-19? community service credit schemes discourse - deliberative forums, soaps, discursive education mutual respect - barriers, citizens juries, listen to youth other - regional football, mobile phones Slide 37 Conclusions Policy and academic interest Strong exclusion story NE has relatively low sc Optimise - not maximise Slide 38 Future research questions Measurement: bridging, bonding, variations Trends and functional equivalence Diversity Relation to political trust and engagement What works? Whos issue? Slide 39 Why act? outcomes externalities equity invisible? (Kahn) Slide 40 More isnt always better