Violence and social capital in urban poor communities: Perspectives from Colombia and Guatemala

This article has highlighted, both empirically and conceptually, how an assessment of violence at the community level in itself leads to a better conceptualization of largely neglected, negative dimensions of social capital. This is intended to provide a more holistic interpretation of the multi-faceted nature of social capital. The analysis of social capital in terms of two interrelated categories of structural/cognitive and productive/perverse social capital not only provides a useful conceptual framework for understanding social capital in contexts of violence, but also introduces two key aspects of social capital largely overlooked so far. For those involved in violence reduction and conflict resolution, the great challenge concerns the identification of measures, or interventions, that can successfully transform fear into trust, and perverse into productive organisations. While ultimately this requires national level structural changes, nevertheless, this study has highlighted community-based potential entry points for change that will be necessary in both Colombia and Guatemala. This included the identification of women's and childcare organizations as potential social institutions to facilitate programmes to rebuild trust and cohesion in violent communities. With crime and violence on the increase throughout Latin America, the conceptualisation of social capital outlined in this paper may therefore prove a useful framework for understanding and addressing this problem in other areas in the continent.