Starting from the idea that economic relations are all social relations, and every economic fact is first a social fact, this book explores one of the crucial problems within economic science: how to incorporate the social dimension into the study of economic reality from a critical perspective.

The book opens with an examination of the concept of social capital, incorporating all the approaches from the last thirty years of analysis. Furthermore, it reviews the two main orientations of existing research programs in social capital: the macro or culturalist perspective and the micro or individual social capital. Finally, the book explores the link between social capital and the negative aspects of social reality, such as corruption or inequality, and, through the study of so-called relational goods, the influence of social capital on subjective well-being. The analysis of the concept of social capital involves not only economists but requires a necessary bridge with sociology, anthropology, political science and even psychology.

The book will, therefore, be crucial reading for anyone engaged in the problem of the interrelation between economy and society.