Customer Reviews

Beyond Tocqueville: Civil Society and the Social Capital Debate in Comparative Perspective (Civil Society: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives)

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I am purchasing this book after reading it--I have the libraries copy in front of me, but I need a copy to write in the margins and highlight. As a curious follower of Putnam's work on Social Capital, this book deepens the conversation and ideas surrounding the issue, most importantly asking questions about what do we mean by "social capital."

The book is a gathering of commentary from scholars on social capital and how it relates or may not relate to civil society. It is an academic's book. It is an important book for anyone who wants to consider Social Capital at a deeper level.

I have just started reading this book, but I can say it is quoted in many sites regarding civil society and NGOs. I found the articles included there very interesting and diverse: it analyses many types of social organization and movements and presents debates on civil society.
Perhaps the only aspect of the book that I would have liked to read more is about the comparative perspective, referring to different places around the world, as it just draws on USA, Russia and Central America. A view on Europe or South America would have been quite important and illustrative.
Claudia E Espinosa
Mexico