We set up a theoretical framework to analyze the possible role of economic growth and technical progress in the erosion of social capital. Under certain parameters, the relationship between technical progress and social capital can take the shape of an inverted U curve. We show the circumstances...

In this paper, we show that incorporating the relational dimension into an otherwise standard OLG model and focusing on dynamic leisure externalities leads to dramatically different predictions. Here we show that when the old perceive private and relational consumption as substitutable goods, a...

Empirical studies have documented a decline in indicators of social participation in the last decades. The responsibility of social disengagement has been often attributed to pervasive busyness and the rising pressure of time. In this paper we argue that computer-mediated interaction, and...

This paper addresses two hot topics of the contemporary debate, social capital and economic growth. Our theoretical analysis sheds light on decisive but so far neglected issues: how does social capital accumulate over time? Which is the relationship between social capital, technical progress and...

Paper presented at the Conference “From GDP to Well-Being: Economics on the Road to Sustainability”, Ancona, Italy, 3-5 December 2009. <p> Abstract <p> We develop a dynamic model to analyze the sources and the evolution of social participation and social capital in a growing economy characterized...</p></p>