Associations in Australian History: Their Contribution to Social Capital

Abstract

Associations in Australian History: Their Contribution to Social Capital What is social capital, and where does it reside? Can we measure it, observe it, create it, or engineer it? Even if we can decide on correct indicators or develop policy measures to increase it, should we do so? Is it something that arises spontaneously; that is, does it arise when individuals have a clear need to join together in association to achieve a goal, be it a new sporting field, an anti-pollution concern, or a babysitting club? Can it be manufactured by policy decree? Does social capital develop more strongly under certain social conditions than others? If social capital forms in civil society, what comprises a civil society? These questions cut at the core of our modern dilemma: Do we need more or less