Introduction: the choices for wealth over health of nations -- 1. For economic growth and individualism over the land: Adam Smith -- 2. For deductive method and rent over poor relief: David Ricardo and Thomas Malthus -- 3. For maximizing wealth with social redistribution over production reform:...

This chapter reviews the recent debate about the role of social capital in economics. We argue that all the difficulties this concept has encountered in economics are due to a vague and excessively broad definition. For this reason, we restrict social capital to the set of values and beliefs...

This chapter reviews the recent debate about the role of social capital in economics. We argue that all the difficulties this concept has encountered in economics are due to a vague and excessively broad definition. For this reason, we restrict social capital to the set of values and beliefs...