ABSTRACT
An important element of the social capital paradigm is power. This chapter focuses on the importance of power and the different kinds of power that can be used to influence others. It examines the use of negative and positive power to influence the behavior of others. Positive power exercises an influence over people by offering them opportunities to choose between options that improve their well-being or to do nothing at all. Negative power, on the other hand, offers only the choice between two or more bads. The ability to exercise carrot power can be enhanced when an agent in a transaction has social capital because then the agent can include the exchange of Socio-emotional goods (SEGs) in the transaction in order to influence the actions of others. Positive social capital enhances forms of power that depend on physical carrots while reducing the probability that stick power will be used at all.
