Social Isolation's Impact On Social Capital

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Social Isolation’s Impact on Social Capital Scholarly thoughts differ from one thinker to the other. The most prominent arguments discussed when analyzing social capital come from Coleman, Rankin and Quane. Social capital can be defined as the use of communal institutions and knowledge to produce results. Coleman (98) links it to the development of schools, reducing crime levels and engaging effective governance structures, which results in high productivity levels. He summarizes it as, “features of social organization such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit." In my opinion, an educated person and competent leader can achieve set goals without any form of supervision. They achieve …show more content…

Putnam fails to recognize how highly educated people can still exercise racial segregation in a developed country such as the United States of America. Putnam agrees with the authors including Rankin and Quane, who believe that education levels keep increasing. Educational diversity exists and people still recognize highly recognized individuals over the less educated counterparts. The five scholars contradict Putnam, who argues that higher education levels eliminate racism. Highly educated individuals build more networks within families and workplaces, which increases cohesion (McPherson, Lynn Smith-Lovin and Brashears 353). Putnam fails to understand why education would separate people when its intended use is to create intellectual exposure and liberation. As such, people should not recognize social factor such as race as the ground for the division. Instead, the society should utilize education in sensitizing people concerning the use of social functions in uniting people from diverse backgrounds. Since he recognizes intellectual democracy, Putnam opposes the scholars that treat racism as a social function that is not subject to manipulation or change (Putnam 67). The several arguments about race, class, and educational levels lead Rankin and Quane into analyzing how the societal impoverished live. They assess the different social factors that influence social cohesion or isolation among the disadvantaged people in the