Dr. Daniel Aldrich is professor of political science and public policy, an author of five books and the director of the Security and Resilience Studies Program at Northeastern University. He’s lived and worked in India, Japan and Africa, studying how social infrastructure — which he defines as “the places and spaces that connect us” — can help communities become more resilient in the face of disasters. Daniel recently joined Reimagining the Civic Commons director Bridget Marquis in a conversation about how communities use social infrastructure to prepare for and withstand disasters and shocks — and how these communities become healthier and happier in the process.
The following is an abridged version of the conversation between Bridget and Daniel (the full conversation is also viewable as a video below).
Bridget Marquis [BM]: Let’s start with some definitions. In your work, how do you define social capital and social infrastructure?
Dr. Daniel Aldrich [DA]: Social capital is the bonds that connect us to each other. And to get super professorial about it, we have bonding, bridging and linking social capital ties. Bonding ties are between people who are quite similar, so family members would be a good example. Bridging ties, in contrast, connect us to people who are different from us. Vertical or linking ties are ties to people with power and authority, if you know the mayor or the governor, for example. Social capital is the ties that bind us together.
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