Civic engagement makes or breaks a community. Engagement can take many forms, whether it’s working with neighbors to create a welcoming environment in a neighborhood, voting for legislation to improve quality of life or volunteering through a community organization to help others. The key to effective citizen participation is social capital, defined by social scientists as social networks characterized by norms of trust and reciprocity. This idea of social capital is of great interest to Dr. Michael Stout, associate professor of sociology at Missouri State University, who conducts research on community and economic development in order to better understand the ways social capital and civic engagement serve as resources that provide access to opportunities.
Using the community as a laboratory for his research, Stout, along with colleagues Drs. John Harms and Tim Knapp, conducted a series of community assessments investigating how social connectedness, membership in voluntary associations, and participation in the community are related to economic opportunity. They published their research in two reports and have shared findings with community leaders and policy makers.
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Read more with Dr. Stout.