Social capital “is the network and scaffolding, seen and unseen, that allows determined individuals to succeed,” writes the Aspen Institute’s Raj Vinnakota. “It eases barriers to entry and provides tremendous leverage and ‘insider status’ for those who have it.” And for those who do not? They are increasingly shut off from opportunity and likely to have dramatically worse health outcomes. Today, the gap between those with and without social capital is perhaps the largest in history. How do we broaden access to social capital that promotes family and community bonding and build bridges to networks with economic and cultural advantages to share?
