概念、逻辑及主题——西方政治学领域社会资本研究面临的三重困境

Definition,Logic and Topic: Three Predicaments of Social Capital Research in Western Political Science

任何研究展开前,研究者均需对其锁定的研究对象存在清晰的认知,然而这一要求对当前西方政治学领域的社会资本研究而言颇有难度。社会资本首先在概念界定上不明确、不统一,缺乏共识,而基于此,概念含糊的递增性困境相伴而来。社会资本理论针对民主政治进行解释的政治逻辑与经济逻辑陷入胶着状态,两者未能有效融合却相互牵制;阐释逻辑的胶着状态进一步模糊化社会资本针对性的解释效力,最终使得以"社会资本使民主运转起来"这一笼统主题为导向的研究缺少了精准的研究方向。当前国内政治学领域的本土化研究需要警惕西方社会资本研究在概念、逻辑及主题方面的这三重困境。

Social capital research in Western political science has been led by the proposition- ＂ Social capital makes democracy work＂ which was put forward by Robert Putnam. After Putnam,Social capital is defined variously,and these definitions are too different to reach consensus between each other. Due to lacking of conceptual clarity,increasing difficulties follow. The logics how social capital theory explain democracy politics are not clear,which is manifested as a blurry mixture of political logic and economic logic. Further,these researches under the proposition of ＂ social capital makes democracy work＂ lose accurate orientation so that social capital is regarded as the antidote to solve all problems about democracy. In a word,social capital research in Western political science is facing three predicaments from definition,logics and topics which we need maintain active vigilance.