Welfare Reform on the Web (June 2004): Community Regeneration and Development - Overseas

HELPING CITIZENS HELP THEMSELVES: NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS AND THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKS, TRUST AND NORMS ON NEIGHBORHOOD-ORIENTATED FORMS OF PARTICIPATION

H. Lelieveldt

Urban Affairs Review, Vol. 39, 2004, p.531-551

From a Dutch perspective, the article examines the link between social capital and involvement of residents in their neighbourhood. It argues that a comprehensive analysis of the impact of social capital requires researchers to look both at social networks and at people's attitudes, such as trust in neighbours and a sense of duty. It then tests the impact of these three factors on three forms of participation that are essential for the quality of neighbourhood life:

• informed governance;
• the conversion of problems into some kind of action to solve them;
• participation in a government-sponsored regeneration programme.