Social capital and crime which is cause and which is effect? A longitudinal anaylsis [that is, analysis] of U.S. cities

Social capital is among the newest buzzwords in a variety of academic fields such as public health studies, urban planning, community development, criminal justice, political science, social psychology and sociology. Although social capital is often hailed as the solution to many of the societal problems present in America today, the literature reviewed in this dissertation indicates that this widely shared belief in the palliative effects of social capital may be somewhat misplaced, or at least partially mischaracterized. The literature also suggests, however, that the levels of social capital in a community affect the way members of the community interact with one another and may also impact the level of crime. To examine this connection, the research conducted in this dissertation utilizes a longitudinal case study comparison to examine levels crime in U.S. cities and metropolitan statistical areas over several years along with the levels of social capital that are present in these areas. The findings indicate that there is strong evidence of a correlation between social capital and crime; however it appears that a decrease in crime tends to precede increases in social capital rather than the other way around. This finding has important implications for public policy development and future research alike, and those implications are identified and discussed in the dissertation