Review

"Many health economists (and others) believe that 'social capital' matters but are not sure how to operationalize the concept in theory or empirical research. This wide-ranging volume tackles social capital with the precision of economics, proposing explicit workable definitions and rigorous empirical tests. I particularly appreciate the careful linking of the recent work on social capital to long-standing ideas in economics about institutions, trust, and family." -- Thomas G McGuire, Professor, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School

"This is an excellent book. The authors exemplify the value of approaching complex issues from different disciplinary perspectives, applying economic perspectives to provide new insights into the relationship between social capital and health and its importance for individuals and society." -- Martin McKee, Professor, Department of Health Services Research and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

"This book is an important step forward on the path to conceptualising social capital and its multiple influences on people's health. The dimensions explored are relevant to scholarly work as well as policy making. Perhaps for the first time, this book provides a comprehensive account of the health gains that may derive from investment in social capital by individuals or governments." -- Franco Sassi, Senior Health Economist, OECD, Paris

"This book sheds new light on relationships that the typical health, labor, and family economists tend to overlook. For instance, would you have thought that marriage can be interpreted as demand for Social Capital? Or did you know that the birth of a handicapped child acts like a negative shock to Social Capital, causing fathers to engage in crime with increased probability? Or that Trust declines from North to South not only between countries but within the United States as well? Of particular value are the several survey tables providing readers with a key to the recent literature. In short: Maximum learning per unit time." -- Peter Zweifel, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Zurich

Reference

Title: The Economics of Social Capital and Health: a Conceptual and Empirical Roadmap

Authors: Sherman Folland and Lorenzo Rocco (editors)

Series: World Scientific Series in Global Health Economics

Hardcover: 236 pages

Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company (January, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9814293393

ISBN-13: 978-9814293396