Introduction

A recurring theme in this book has been the interconnectedness of different aspects of people's lives and the cumulative power of lifelong learning experiences to shape future life courses. School and post-school education have a powerful effect on the formation of social capital, which is subsequently reinforced by formal and informal learning opportunities in the workplace. We have already noted that people with learning difficulties are likely to be channelled into a ‘special’ route at an early age, thus shaping future possibilities for engaging in lifelong learning and developing social capital. In previous chapters, we discussed the way in which special schooling tends to lead into special FE or LEC provision, which in turn may lead to repeated circuits of training or placement in an ARC from which progression is unlikely. In Chapter 7, we explored the way in which particular living arrangements, and the benefits package supporting them, dictated the extent and nature of work and other activities available to individuals.

In this chapter, we develop further one of the key theoretical ideas that emerged through the process of the research and which has flowed through the account so far, the concept of social capital. Defined by Putnam (1993, p 167) as the “features of social organizations, such as trusts, norms and networks, that can improve the efficiency of society by facilitating coordinated actions”, social capital is increasingly identified as the key factor contributing to the health and well-being of individuals and societies. Wilkinson (1996), for example, suggests that social capital is an essential mechanism bringing about higher levels of morbidity and mortality in more unequal societies, regardless of their average wealth. Individuals who perceive themselves as much poorer than others are likely to experience dislocated social networks, turning their anger and despair on themselves and their neighbours. Wilkinson's explanation suggests that social capital both mediates and reflects underlying patterns of wealth distribution. As we noted in Chapter 1, European governments have actively promoted the message that lifelong learning is a key transmitter of social capital, with the power to interrupt established patterns of social exclusion. They have been less keen to recognise that lifelong learning may equally well reinforce such patterns.

Social capital is now seen as just as important as financial, physical and human capital in explaining social hierarchies, variations in individual and civic health and well-being and, above all, differential national profitability.