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Contextual Determinants of Community Social Capital

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Global Perspectives on Social Capital and Health

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Abstract

The present chapter summarizes current progress in the study of determinants of community social capital. Given that many studies have reported a positive association between social capital and health (and many other outcomes), why are some communities richer in social capital than others? Compared to the studies on the health effect of community social capital, less attention has been devoted to understanding the determinants of community social capital. Recently, researchers have examined the influence of area characteristics, such as degree of urbanization/suburbanization, neighborhood walkability, and community history on the accumulation of community social capital. Traditional urban centers have been hypothesized to be more walkable, and walkable built environments may help form a more sociable neighborhood community. We describe how these hypotheses have been tested, with a particular focus on case studies conducted in Japan. Subsequently, we will discuss some further challenges and policy implications regarding the studies of the contextual determinants of community social capital.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of International Liberal Studies, Chukyo University, 101-2 Yagoto Honmachi, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8666, Japan

    Tomoya Hanibuchi Ph.D.

  2. Department of Geography, College of Letters, Ritsumeikan University, 56-1 Toji-in kita-machi, Kita-ku, Kyoto, 603-8577, Japan

    Tomoki Nakaya Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Tomoya Hanibuchi Ph.D.
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  2. Tomoki Nakaya Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Tomoya Hanibuchi Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Social & Behavioral Sciences, Harvard University, Huntington Ave. 677, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    Ichiro Kawachi

  2. , Department of Epidemiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Me, Shikata-cho 2-5-1, Okayama City, 700-8558, Japan

    Soshi Takao

  3. Dept Social & Behavioral Sciences, Harvard University, Huntington Ave. 677, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    S.V. Subramanian

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Hanibuchi, T., Nakaya, T. (2013). Contextual Determinants of Community Social Capital. In: Kawachi, I., Takao, S., Subramanian, S. (eds) Global Perspectives on Social Capital and Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7464-7_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7464-7_5

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