Social Capital and Engagement: Does Trust Matter?

This paper is a theoretical and empirical analysis of the components of social capital. These components are examined in relation to their theoretical importance, correlation to each other (reflecting convergent validity), as well as their ability to help account for outcomes of social capital, particularly civic and political engagement. The role of trust in predicting civic and political engagement seems to be exaggerated in theoretical explanations of social capital and engagement (e.g., Putnam 2000), as trust was not a strong predictor of engagement. Alternatively, theory should pay greater attention to norms around reciprocity. Reciprocity was a significant predictor of civic and political engagement. Reciprocity may mediate the effects of network size and social interaction on engagement. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]