432 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    The volume brings together a stellar group of contributors who examine the social capital thesis by means of four different approaches: theoretical, historical, comparative, and empirical. In the end, this book will serve to answer two fundamental questions which have hitherto been neglected: What can a gendered analysis tell us about social capital? And what can social capital tell us about women and politics?

    Preface 1. Removing Rose Colored Glasses: Examining Theories of Social Capital through a Gendered Lens by Elisabeth Gidengil and Brenda O'Neill 2. Just Communities: Social Capital, Gender and Culture by Barbara Arneil 3. The Gender Gap Reversed: Political Consumerism as a Women-Friendly Form of Civic and Political Engagement by Dietlind Stolle and Michele Micheletti 4. Gendering Social Capital: Bowling in Women's Leagues? by Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart 5. Acting from the Heart: Values, Social Capital, and Women Involvement in Interfaith and Environmental Organizations by Amy Caiazza and Barbara Gault 6. Conceptualizing Social Capital in Relation to Children and Young People: Is it Different for Girls? by Virginia Morrow 7. Gender, Social Capital and Politics by Virginia Sapiro 8. Canadian Women's Religious Volunteerism: Compassion, Connections and Comparisons by Brenda O'Neill 9. It's Not What You've Got, but What You Do With It: Women, Social Capital and Political Participation by Vivien Lowndes 10. Gender, Knowledge and Social Capital by Elisabeth Gidengil, Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant, Neil Nevitte and André Blais 11. Gender-Role Orientations and the Conversion of Social Capital into Political Engagement by Joanna Everitt 12. Persuasion and Perception: New Models of Network Effects on Gendered Issues by Bonnie Erickson 13. Changing Agendas: The Impact of Feminism on American Politics by Kristin A. Goss and Theda Skocpol 14. Are Women Legislators Accountable to Women? The Complementary Roles of Feminist Identity and Women's Organizations by Susan J. Carroll 15. Gender, Social Capital and Political Engagement: Findings and Future Directions by Elisabeth Gidengil and Brenda O'Neill Comprehensive Bibliography

    Biography

    Brenda O'Neill is an Associate Professor of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba.
    Elisabeth Gidengil is a Professor of Political Science at McGill University.

    "Gender and Social Capital is an ideal resource for students of political and social theory, community studies, social networks, and collective action. For scholars of social capital, this volume is mandatory. The indicators developed take us leaps forward in the measurement of this elusive concept. Through a broad array of data (of over 50 countries, with more detailed attention to Canada, Britain, and the US), the gendered analyses included in Gender and Social Capital reveal the underdeveloped state of theorizing on social capital. The authors prompt serious consideration of differences in the nature of social capital, the contingent bases for the conversion of social capital, and how social inequalities influence the accumulation and investment of social capital."

    -- Fiona Kay, Queen's University, Canadian Journal of Sociology

     

    "The book is an excellent source of fertile ideas on social capital, gender, and politics, with contributions that include careful scrutiny of the nuances of different conceptualizations of social capital and numerous empirical investigations that demonstrate the forms and varieties of gendered politics...an overwhelmingly useful, provocative, and much-needed collection that should be of value to students and researchers alike.  I confess that at times I have been skeptical of the value of social capital as either a theoretical or an empirical tool.  This volume firmly sets these doubts to rest, presenting a more than convincing case for its utility.  The editors and contributors are to be commended for an important and original contribution to a burgeoning literature."

    -- Ann R. Tickamyer, Ohio University, American Journal of Sociology