CDCs and Charitable Organizations in the Urban South:Mobilizing Social Capital Based on Race and Religion for Neighborhood Revitalization
Abstract
This article examines how community development corporations (CDCs) and other nonprofits access social capital when constructing collaborative partnerships for urban revitalization projects. Data from interviews with the directors of CDCs and charitable organizations in Jackson, Mississippi, are used for the analysis in this research. The findings indicate that the organizations studied mobilize two mutually exclusive forms of social capital when pursuing partnerships. In some instances, social capital based on religion is mobilized. In other cases, social capital based on race is mobilized. The conclusions of the article highlight the relationship between the embeddedness of social capital in local context and the degree to which it can be mobilized to stimulate neighborhood development. Moreover, the extent to which social capital is overemphasized in current social science discourse is explored.