Over the past decade, policymakers and scholars have devoted increasing attention to the nature and role of social capital in the functioning of society. This paper examines the implications of government attempts to manipulate the existing structure of social capital to create homogeneity among agents. It finds that these attempts can weaken, erode or destroy existing social capital. The paper concludes with policy implications regarding government efforts to create or manipulate social capital.

Read the article at SpringerLink.

Citation (Chicago Style): Carilli, Anthony M., Christopher J. Coyne, and Peter T. Leeson. "Government Intervention and the Structure of Social Capital." Review of Austrian Economics 21, nos. 2-3 (2008): 209-218.