Ep 15. This episode explores how social capital influences the nature and outcomes of various types of exchanges, challenging the traditional views held by neoclassical economics. Lindon begins by reflecting on his training in neoclassical economics, which often emphasizes selfish behavior and voluntary exchanges. He contrasts this with the broader perspective offered by social capital, […]

Ep 14. In this episode Tristan Claridge and Lindon Robison delve into the core concept of social capital and its critical role in the economy. They explore how social capital influences the production and exchange of commodities, highlighting that relationships and social connections are fundamental to economic productivity and efficiency. Lindon, trained as a neoclassical […]

Ep 13. This episode explores how relationships significantly influence human behavior and decision-making, particularly within economic contexts. Lindon Robison shares insights from his research on farmland markets, highlighting that the price people are willing to sell their land for varies greatly depending on their relationship with the buyer. For instance, landowners often offer substantial discounts […]

Ep 12. This episode explores what we mean by relationships when discussing social capital. There is general agreement that social capital has to do with relationships, but some theories focus on social relationships and others more on the ways in which people are connected. In a previous episode we discussed the core idea of social […]

Ep 11. Social capital theories have similarities with behavioral economics. Since the early theories of social capital, it has focused on the actions of individuals and groups that deviate from neoclassical economic theorising – when economic agents “misbehave” or make “predictably irrational” choices. This is similar to behavioral economics, which is the study of the […]

Ep 10. Social capital takes time to build and can depreciate over time without maintenance. However, there are factors that sustain social capital, such as nostalgia and attachment value, and other factors that diminish social capital, such as uncertainty associated with a lack of current understanding of the nature of the relationship and connections to […]

Ep 9. Social capital relates to how people are connected and the relationships between people. One way we are connected is through symbols or items that have value beyond market value because of the meaning and significance attributed to them. Where this meaning is related to connections between people, it is an important component of […]

Ep 8. Commonalities are an important part of many theories of social capital. For example, bonding social capital is often understood as connections between people who are similar. And the concept of homophily is often cited. Other theories may refer to shared understandings – that is, understandings that we share – and therefore have in […]

Ep 7. In this episode, we are going to dive into the nature of social capital as a stock and flow. Just as physical capital never works alone, neither does social capital. To produce and deliver a relational good or flow related to social capital requires other resources. We need a human relationship along with […]

Ep 6. Donne wrote that no man (or woman) is an island. We are all connected. Once we acknowledge that we are all connected–that what one person does undoubtedly affects someone else–once we make that adjustment in our thinking, we must recognize that we are all involved in a great social capital experiment. It was […]