The debate on capital social

a critical review

Abstract

This review o f the literature on the debate concerning social capital as found in m ajor political science journals presents the culturalist argum ents advocated by R obert Putnam , a H arvard political scientist, and the neo-institutionalist reactions led by Peter Evans. A polarization em erges out o f this debate. One vision asserts that a natural political evolution of political systems is a developmentalist prerequisite that facilitates effective public policy implementation. The other vision deem s the emergence o f an em bed­ded institutional autonom y the chief source o f an optim um usage o f resources available to collectivities. T he article criticizes both argum ents as determ inist and opts instead fo r an approach centered on political elites as the prim e factor in institutional performance.