My current research is concerned with understanding how development programs can best promote the development of social capital. My doctoral dissertation concerns a model of social capital formation based on John Dewey's concept of the active self. According to Dewey's social utilitarian model, social capital results from individual acts of prosocial behavior on the part of individuals who are motivated by a desire to shape social systems and their own social identities in particular ways. These individuals leverage assets in the social domain, along with their own efforts, to achieve desired results. I argue that development organizations need to work with this "active self" process in order to best promote social capital formation. In the future I would like to develop a program evaluation framework based on this theoretical model.

The following is a link to a draft version of a short paper summarizing this theory:

Dewey's active self theory as a framework for understanding social capital formation

The following are links to a few brief representative quotes from my dissertation in progress:

Dewey's concept of the active self

Dewey's social utilitarian philosophy

The role of community organizations in development

Similarity to James Coleman's theory of the individual actor

A pragmatic definition of social capital

Self psychology

Draft dissertation contents page

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