There is a growing awareness among economists that social networks and trust have an important impact on growth and other economic and social outcomes. The essays in The Economic Implications of Social Cohesion examine the potential influence of social cohesion on population, health, the well-being of children, macroeconomic performance, voluntary activity, the role of community institutions, aggregate investment and regional development. By tracing the connections between social cohesion and these specific outcomes, the book contributes to our understanding of the interaction between economic processes and their social framework.

Although the authors recognize the complex implications of social cohesion and the possibility of ambiguous effects on economic development, the general conclusion is that social cohesion has significant economic implications and that there are significant potential gains to some types of cohesion and the collective action it enables. Distinct in its subject and approach, The Economic Implications of Social Cohesion covers new ground in an emergent field of study and will provide an invaluable resource for researchers wishing to pursue further work in this area.

LARS OSBERG is a Professor of Economics at Dalhousie University with research interests in labour economics and income and wealth distribution. He received his PhD in Economics from Yale University and has published numerous articles in academic journals and seven books, including Lorimer's Unnecessary Debts, co-edited with Pierre Fortin. He is a past President of the Canadian Economics Association.

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