Introduction

In the face of an increasingly globalised world, in which sudden shifts in investment can cause the loss of hundreds of jobs from a community, it is widely accepted that the quality of social relationships and social cohesion, described as social capital, can be an important resource for sustaining communities’ resilience in difficult times. Both journalists and academics recount case studies of how social linkages have been the key resource as communities take stock of their situation and rebuild local economies, perhaps becoming more prosperous than they were before. Frequently, the case studies focus on how the social linkages have facilitated community learning, and on the significance of place in focusing both efforts to build anew, and to influence the policies of local and regional governments.