ABSTRACT
The first chapter reviews the main theoretical approaches to civil society studies and explains the use of social capital theory to answer the main research question posed by the study. It proceeds to summarize the current state of social capital theory, with its achievements and controversies, and outlines the contribution of this study to the academic debate by examining the possibilities of social capital generation in diverse groups. This chapter discusses previous studies on the criteria of social capital, and those on factors promoting and impeding social capital generation. It also provides an overview of applied research on social capital generation in the context of international education. The chapter also delineates social capital from related concepts of social networks, social cohesion, and inclusion.
