This book confirms the significance of social capital as an analytical tool, while challenging the basis on which current policy is being developed. It offers a wealth of evidence on a topic that has become central to contemporary government; provides a detailed empirical investigation of the relationship between social capital, knowledge creation and lifelong learning; relates the findings to wider policy debates; questions the dominant theoretical models of social capital; and confronts the assumption of many policy makers that the obvious solution to social problems is to 'invest in social capital'.The book is aimed at researchers in education, policy studies and urban studies, as well as those concerned with an understanding of contemporary policy concerns. It provides readers with a detailed analysis of relevant evidence, as well as a trenchant critique of current conceptual and policy preoccupations.

The term 'social capital' is a way of conceptualizing the intangible resources of community, shared values and trust upon which we draw in daily life. It has achieved considerable currency in the social sciences through the very different work of Bourdieu in France, and James Coleman and Robert Putnam in the States, and has been taken up within politics and sociology as a means of explaining the decline of social cohesion and community values in many Western societies. This concise introduction, the only one currently available, explains the theoretical underpinning of the subject, the empirical work that has been done to explore its operation, and the effect that it has had on policy-making particularly within such international governmental bodies as the World Bank and the European Commission. With genuine cross-disciplinary appeal, this exceptional book will be of great interest to students of sociology, politics and social policy.

Presenting the findings of the first large scale study on the social consequences of participation in various forms of adult and lifelong learning, this book investigates the relationships between education and key social concerns such as health.

This book provides an easily accessible, practical yet scholarly source of information about the international concern for the philosophy, theory, categories and concepts of lifelong learning. Written in a straightforward understandable manner, the book examines in depth the range of philosophical perspectives in the field of lifelong learning theory, policy, practice and applied scholarship.

With contributions from around the world, this book brings together inter-related research from three fields: social capital, place management and lifelong learning regions. Providing valuable insight into the management of place and the development of learning at a regional level, the book presents international research that underpins the development and implementation of policies and practices that improve the quality of living and working circumstances at both local and regional levels. International in scope and at the cutting edge of research into this growing field that links lifelong learning to place, the book will appeal both to academics undertaking research in this burgeoning field and to those involved in lifelong learning at local, national and international level.

In Britain and elsewhere there is an explosion of interest in lifelong learning. John Field explores the background to this sudden rise of interest amongst policy makers and assesses the chances of achieving a viable learning society.

Economic globalization, modern transportation, and advanced communication technologies have greatly enhanced the mobility of people across national boundaries. The resulting demographic, social, and cultural changes create new opportunities for development as well as new challenges for lifelong learning. Transnational Migration and Lifelong Learning examines the changing nature of lifelong learning in the current age of transnational migration. The book brings together international scholars from a range of countries in a dialogue about the relationship between work, learning, mobility, knowledge, and citizenship in the context of globalization and migration. It covers a wide range of topics, including: global perspectives and analyses of migration; the impact of migration on lifelong learning; processes of exclusion and inclusion in lifelong learning; the tension between mobility, knowledge, and recognition; and transnationalism, learning communities, and citizenship. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Lifelong Education.