Conference on Race and Social Capital

February 10-11

Friday February 10th

10:00 am
Welcome


10:05am
Panel One: Introductions, Review of Recent Work
Chaired by: Ken Meier, Texas A&M University

This panel will allow participants 15 minutes each to discuss their recent work related to social capital, the issues that they consider to be important, and where they believe the literature is/should be going.


12:00 noon
Lunch


1:30 pm
Panel Two: What is Social Capital?
Chaired by: Sylvia Manzano Rivera, St. Mary's University

This panel will discuss the many concepts tied into discussions of social capital. Topics may include defining social capital, discussing what should not be included in concepts of social capital, and considering the ways in which different "types" of social capital have been categorized (i.e. bridging/bonding).


3:00 pm
Break


3:30 pm
Panel Three: Related Concepts and Causal Relationships
Chaired by: Kim Quaile Hill, Texas A&M University

This panel will discuss other concepts related to social capital (i.e. social trust, civic engagement, etc). This panel will also include some discussion of the causal relationships surrounding social capital (What contributes to higher levels of social capital? What do expect from an increase in social capital?)


5:00 pm
Break for the day


Saturday, February 11


10:00 am
Panel Four: Race and Social Capital
Chaired by: Rodney Hero, University of Notre Dame

The panel will discuss the importance of considering race when studying social capital, the differences found when using aggregate vs. race-specific outcomes, and the causal relationships linking issues of race to varying levels of social capital.


12:00 noon
Lunch



1:30 pm
Panel Five: Operationalizing Social Capital
Chaired by: Melissa Marshall, Rice University

This panel will focus on the difficulties faced when empirically measuring social capital. Particular issues may include appropriate levels aggregation, data sources, cross-sectional vs. time-series design, and the choice of policy outcomes linked to fluctuations in social capital.


3:00 pm
Break


3:30 pm
Panel Six: Where Do We Go From Here?
Chaired by: Eric Uslaner, University of Maryland

This panel will focus on where the literature on social capital is and should be going. Are there ways to increase the work that cuts across subfields in political science? Are there possibilities for joint projects?


6:30 pm
Closing Reception and Dinner