Dimensions of Colombian Philanthropy: How Giving is Linked to Social Capital

Abstract

In recent years, social capital has emerged at the forefront of comparative research in the areas of philanthropy, community development and international aid. The predominant body of research has been conducted in the United States, Netherlands, and other Northern/Western contexts. From this body of knowledge, the academic community has begun to tease out how philanthropic traditions arise within and adapt to a given cultural context. Stemming from the assertions of Fukuyama, Putnam and Banfield, a theory has emerged that high levels of social capital is connected to high levels of philanthropic support (money and time), and low levels of social capital is connected to low levels of philanthropic support. This is to be expected since, theoretically, in cultures with less trust and civic behavior, there is a higher cost to giving and volunteering, and therefore people give less. Research conducted in American and Dutch communities suggests that a high level of philanthropic behavior is expected to be found in places where people share a high level of social capital (Putnam, 2000); that individuals who have more social capital in terms of access to social networks are more likely to be charitable (Brooks, 2005; Brown and Ferris, 2007); that a donor’s perception that a nonprofit organization is trustworthy affects his or her decision to give (Bekkers, 2003); and that an individual’s participation in different types of civic networks relies on varying levels of social trust (Uslaner, 2002).

Colombia offers an interesting case study of the interplay between social capital and philanthropy because much is known about the Colombian citizenry’s propensity to trust and associate. Additionally, the incredible growth of nonprofits in Colombia and Latin America since the early 1990s has spurred an increase in qualitative research surrounding Latin American philanthropy.