ABSTRACT
Now the third aspect of the US System of Power and Accumulation is scrutinized: the family and community. The question raised is whether a new family-community social structure of accumulation (FCSSA) has emerged in the Unites States to contribute to long wave growth and development through the early decades of the twenty-first century.1 Institutions that promote system-functions or public goods are required for sustainable growth and development. Three dimensions of the potential FCSSA institutions are examined in this chapter, within the context of the systemic circuit of social capital: (a) stability within families, (b) trust and association in the community, and (c) the degree of relative equality. Overall, the findings are that a new FCSSA does not currently operate in the United States because the emerging family type is not promoting sufficient stability, trust has diminished to low levels, and structural inequality has continued to rise. These factors have negatively impacted on long-term economic performance through several transmission mechanisms, which are analyzed in the chapter.
