Human Capital, Social Capital, Natural Capital

Hi Everyone,

As you know, in the Path to Real Prosperity presentation, there is discussion of the notion of "human capital" - the term economists use to describe the capacity that individuals have to learn, create, collaborate and contribute as workers and as citizens.  And of course, a big part of the Caring Economy message is that supporting children and the people who care for them is necessary for economic success because it is through positive early childhood experiences that high quality human capital is created.

However, the broader "Real Wealth" model and the "New Economic Map" also show the community volunteer sector and the natural sector as being important missing pieces of a sustainable economy.

Recently, Adam Chefitz (Cohort YLP) has been asking for resources that might help to flesh out the connections between vibrant community and natural sectors and economic success. Thanks for the great questions, Adam!

Here are some links that can help you expand your discussion of the economic value of social and natural capital.

On Social Capital:

Here’s a link that shows how social capital is connected to economic development:

And this one shows how social capital is framed in a public health context 

If you want to read in more depth on the concept of Social Capital and applications, this is a good white paper.

On Natural Capital:

A good starting point is this link to the Natural Capital Project - an organization working to do for natural capital what the caring economy campaign is doing for human capital.

Hope you find these resources helpful!

Best wishes,
Sara