Social capital and lifelong learning - Softcover

"... marks an important contribution to the emerging literature. ... thought-provoking and valuable for anyone with an interest in the development of lifelong learning." International Journal of Lifelong Education "... this is a thought-provoking book, very relevant to those concerned with community development as well as to those involved in community education, directly." Community Development Journal "[Social capital and lifelong learning] is a thought provoking book, very relevant to those concerned with community development as well as to those involved in community education directly." Community Development Journal "John Field is a leading international thinker in the lifelong learning field. His new book will contribute to the developing debate on the relevance of social capital to social policy analysis in the UK. Highly recommended." Alan Tuckett, Director, NIACE (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education)

Social capital and lifelong learning are central to current policy concerns both in the UK and internationally. This book confirms the significance of social capital as an analytical tool, while challenging the basis on which current policy is being developed. It: * offers a wealth of evidence on a topic that has become central to contemporary government; * provides a detailed empirical investigation of the relationship between social capital, knowledge creation and lifelong learning; * relates the findings to wider policy debates; * questions the dominant theoretical models of social capital; and * confronts the assumption of many policy makers that the obvious solution to social problems is to 'invest in social capital'.