Building Social Capital for Health Information

Abstract

The concept of “social capital” has been re-engineered to reflect the level and use of knowledge within society. It includes the extent to which society can create, innovate and use knowledge. This new understanding of social capital is a reconstruction of the World Bank. But the original idea of social capitalism was rooted in the trust of individuals in society. Later, it extended to the trust of the Government and its systems. Social capital was taken to be the trust, solidarity, friendship and good neighbourliness among individuals of a community. It included the social protection networks within a family and in the wider community. A society where individuals reasonably trusted each other, showed solidarity with one another and showed a spirit of good neighbourliness was regarded as community with high social capital. Most societal ideals have these elements of social capital.