In a 24/7 world and a global economy, there is no doubt that relationships impact virtually every economic transaction. In Relationship Economics, Lindon Robison and Bryan Ritchie argue that what needs to be understood is not just whether relationships matter (which, of course, they do), but also, how much, and in what circumstances they should matter. Providing a rigorous and measurable definition of the way that relationships among individuals create a capital, social capital, that can be saved, spent, and used like other forms of capital, Robison and Ritchie use numerous examples and insightful analysis, to explain how social capital shapes our ability to reduce poverty, understand corruption, encourage democracy, facilitate income equality, and respond to globalization. The first part of the book explains how social capital can be manipulated, stored, expended, and invested. The second part explores how levels of social capital within relationships influence economic transactions both positively and negatively, which in turn shape poverty levels, economic efficiency, levels and types of political participation, and institutional structures.

Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Relationships and Social Capital; Chapter 3 Different Kinds of Social Capital; Chapter 4 Do Social Capital Motives Matter (Much)?; Chapter 5 An Introduction to the Social Capital Paradigm; Chapter 6 The Social Capital Paradigm; Chapter 7 The Social Capital Paradigm; Chapter 8 The Social Capital Paradigm; Chapter 9 The Social Capital Paradigm; Chapter 10 The Social Capital Paradigm; Chapter 11 The Social Capital Exchange Theory; Chapter 12; Chapter 13 The Social Capital Paradigm and Poverty Reduction; Chapter 14 Social Capital and Ethics; Chapter 15 Social Capital and Globalization; Chapter 16 Social Capital and the Distribution of Political Power; Chapter 17 Social Capital and Culture; Chapter 101 Epilogue;