ARTICLE REVIEW #2 1
Article Review #2
Miguel Hunt
Liberty University
PADM 530: Politics, Strategies, and Initiatives of Community Economic Development
Dr. Ronald McDaniel
September 21, 2025
The Myth of Social Capital in Community Development
The article by James DeFilippis, “The Myth of Social Capital in Community
Development", argues that the theory of social capital as it pertains to community development
is flawed and misguided. It further argues that social capital, as thought of by Robert Putnam,
fails to recognize issues of power in the construction of communities and is far from economic
capital (DeFilippis, 2001). Putnam’s understanding of social capital became incorporated into the
community development theory in the early 1990s and is linked with the idea of civil society
and principles of economic growth (DeFilippis, 2001).
DeFilippis (2001) instead insists on moving away from Putnam’s take on social capital,
and return to the concepts used by Glenn Loury and Pierre Bourdieu. The author further
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concluded his study with discussions of alternative theories of social capital that can be utilized
in community development practices. DeFilippis described Loury as a human capital theorist
who related the need of social capital to understand human capital characteristics. Bourdieu
was a social capital theorist who looked at the capital as both economic and a set of power
relations, playing into the role of social interactions.
DeFilippis provides various examples as to why Putnam’s understanding of social capital,
when it comes to community development, is flawed. First, Putnam believes that individuals
and communities possess social capital; however, DeFilippis (2021) argues that communities
cannot possess anything; only individuals can. This further goes into the fact that no community
is the sole function of the attributes of people living and working in that community. DeFilippis
(2021) further explains the conflicting understanding of social capital and civil society that was
explained by Putnam. Putnam’s understanding separated social capital from capital itself, which
is one of the most important aspects of social capital in community development.
DeFilippis (2021) clearly states that he is not arguing that social capital is not important
in community development, but rather that Putnam’s way of interpreting social capital has lost
its potential use for the community development theory. Putnam’s flaws are due to his
separation of social capital and economic capital. DeFilippis (2021) concluded his study by
saying that we need to construct and build on social networks and relationships for people in
low-income and socially disconnected areas in ways that allow those networks to realize greater
control and power over the flows of capital.
A study conducted by Sakamoto (2024) looked at the importance of social capital, social
networks, and relationships in slums. Their analysis revealed varied social capital profiles, with
one slum achieving success while the other slums faced issues due to community division and
weakened social capital among important individuals (Sakamoto, 2024). This study reveals the
importance of social capital, especially in lower-income communities, to aid in the success of
community development programs.
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In a second study conducted by Sari (2024), the author looked at social capital in
community development. The study was conducted using a qualitative research technique,
involving community influential members. This study added to a more complex understanding
of social capital and its connection to community growth and resilience. This study further
shows the importance of Loury and Bourdieu’s view on social capital and the importance of
power and social interactions.
References
DeFilippis, J. (2001). The myth of social capital in community development. Housing Policy
Debate, 12(4), 781–806. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2001.9521429
Sakamoto, M. (2024). The role of social capital in community development: Insights from
behavioral game theory and social network analysis. Sustainable Development.
https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2961
Sari, S. (2024). Exploring the Role of Social Capital in Strengthening Community Bonds for
Sustainable Development. Journal Social Civilecial, 2(1), 1–10.
https://doi.org/10.71435/610486
