SOCIAL CAPITAL, HEALTH AND CULTURE
Social capital refers to features of social organization, such as trust and shared norms, which are resources for individuals and facilitate cooperation. Observing that higher levels of social capital are associated with better health, advocates recommend strengthening individuals’ social assets to improve health. Critics contend that the social capital approach is used as a palliative to quell marginalized peoples’ demands for material assistance, and may facilitate reproduction of social inequality. My work has entailed culling the extensive social capital literature, in order to catalog and evaluate its multiple definitions, as well as to assess the strengths and dangers of using this framework to promote health.

Publications
"Formative research on elder health and care in Comitán, Chiapas, Mexico."
Glantz N. Dissertation, University of Arizona. Ann Arbor: ProQuest/UMI 3257921. 2007.

Presentation and Conference Session Organized
To download information on organized sessions, go to All Presentations authored by Namino Glantz

“Social capital: Public health panacea or palliative?”
Glantz N. Session Organizer. Society for Applied Anthropology/Society for Medical Anthropology Annual Meeting, Dallas, 2004.

“Is the treatment worse than the disease? Risks of attempts to increase social capital in minority groups.”
Glantz N. Society for Applied Anthropology / Society for Medical Anthropology Annual Meeting, Dallas, 2004.

Manuscript Not Yet Published
“Social capital: A literature review.”
Glantz N. Tucson: University of Arizona. 15 pages. 2003.