Social Capital: Bonding and Bridging - Midterm

What is social capital? According to Putnam's Bowling Alone, (page 19) social capital refers to connections among individuals. But this can be further seperated into two distinct groups: Bonding and Bridging.

Bonding social capital: On page 23, Putnam describes bonding social capital like a superglue which is also exclusive. Bonding social capital is bringing people together. Usually these people have the same interests and are very much alike. He gives an example of the Knights of Columbus. They "...bonding along religious and gender lines." Other examples are: church based womens reading groups, country clubs and ethnic fraternal organizations (pg. 22).

Bridging social capital: As for bridging, Putnam similates it to WD-40. Makes the community work better togather (like WD-40 is used in car engines). There is less friction then. These are bringing groups togather. Perhaps they had a conflict in a matter and by bridging them, they can resolve this. Why the WD-40 analogy works well. He also used the Knights of Columbus as an example. He said, "...created to bridge cleavages among different ethnic communities..." (page 23). This bridging social capital is inclusive. Other examples include: civil rights movement, religious organizations and many youth service groups (pg. 22).