Building Community

CapitalDr Trevor Hancock

Health Promotion Consultant

Victoria BC, Canada

Outline1.Community Capital

2. Development

3. Partners

4. Community Development- Building Community Capital

1. Community Capital

Health and Wealth

“ A nation’s health is a nation’s wealth.”

Masthead of The Sanitarian, published in Britain in the 19th century

What is Wealth?

Experts in ‘alternative economics’ have long suggested that wealth consists of four forms of capital.That view is increasingly accepted by, among others, the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, even (parts of) Wall Street.

Economic capital

Economic capital - the means

•creation of adequate wealth and healthy jobs

•equitable distribution of wealth and income

•ecologically sustainable development

Natural capital

Economic capital

Natural capital - the bedrock

• high environmental quality- air, water, soil

• healthy ecosystems andsustainable resources

• habitat and wildlife conservation

Natural Capitalism

• Increase productivity of natural resources– implement whole

system design– adopt innovative

technologies

• Shift to biologically inspired production models– closed loop systems

• Move to solutions-based business model– services (e.g.

illumination) not goods

• Reinvest in natural capital

(Lovins, Lovins and Hawken, 1999)

Economic capital

Natural capital

Socialcapital

Social capital - the glue

Three aspects of social capital• social cohesion and ‘civicness’

(Putnam)• public investment in the ‘soft’

social infrastructure (health services, education, social services, libraries etc)

• the judicial, political and constitutional infrastructure of society

Socialcapital

Humancapital

Natural capital

Economic capital

Human capital - the end

• educated, innovative, creative people

• participatory governance and civil rights

• healthy people

Social v human capital

Social capital is distinguished from human capital in that it does not exist within any single individual but instead is concerned with the structure of relationships between and among individuals. Coleman, 1998

Socialcapital

Humancapital

Natural capital

Economic capital

The four forms of community capital

Healthy Community

model

Global WealthA 1995 World Bank study suggested that of the world’s total wealth

•20% is ‘produced assets’ (economic wealth)

•20% is ecological (natural) capital

•60% is a combination of social and human capital

2. Development

What is Development?

“ A gradual unfolding or growth”

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary, 1972 edition

Health and Development

The four forms of wealth require four forms of development if health is to be maximised.

Economic development

•development of the economy to provide the means of ensuring that the basic determinants of health are adequately met, thus avoiding absolute material deprivation– enables us to ‘purchase’ health

Social development

•development of the communities and societies of people to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity of benefiting from development, thus reducing relative material and psychosocial deprivation and ensuring social equity and health.

Sustainable development

•development in a manner that is indefinitely environmentally sustainable, ensuring that future generations and other species can continue to survive and thrive, while providing for economic, social and human development today and in the future.

Human development

•ensuring that every human being attains their fullest possible human potential.

Real CapitalismReal capitalists do not build just one form of capital - economic capital - by depleting the other three forms of capital.They build all four forms of capital.

A New Capitalism for the 21st Century

The new capitalism must simultaneously increase

•ecological capital•social capital•economic capital•human capital

3. Partners

How is Health Produced?

The main determinants of health are• peace• food• shelter • education • income • stable ecosystem• sustainable • social justice and resources equity

Ottawa Charter for Health WHO, 1986

Who Produces Health?

Those who• build peaceful relations, locally

and globally• grow our food• build our homes and

communities• educate our kids • create good jobs

Partners for health• Public sector

– local government– local schools

• Community/NGO sector• Faith organisations• Private sector• Labour unions• etc.

Who should be our private sector

partners?Those whose bottom line improves when our bottom line improves.

–then we share a common interest

Caveat partner!Don’t partner with those who

•make money from selling ill health– the tobacco industry and others

•lose or don’t make money if the health of the population improves– the ‘medical-industrial complex’?

•profit in ways that harm health

Private Sector Partners for Health

Whose bottom line improves when the public’s health improves?

• health and life insurance companies

• tourism and recreation industries• sport and fitness industries• all businesses

Who are the real creators of health in that they provide the basic determinants of health?

• food producers• home builders• teachers• clean water industries• creators of healthful employment

Partners/2

Partners/3

Who is already working to increase all four forms of capital simultaneously?

• community gardeners• community-based energy

retrofits• public transportation

4. Community Development-

Building Community Capital

Some examples

Community gardens•Social capital–Working together– Learning about food from

other cultures– Inter-generational links

•Ecological capital–Creating greenspace–Organic production

Community gardens

•Economic capital–Reducing cost of food –Creating local employment

•Human capital–Being active – learning about food and nature– eating better

Energy Retro-fits in housing

•Social capital–Working together–Creating local planning group

•Ecological capital–Saving energy–Reducing greenhouse gases

and other pollutants

Energy Retro-fits in housing

•Economic capital–Creating local employment – Increasing disposable income

•Human capital– Improving health via better

housing quality –Acquiring skills and

knowledge

Public transit

•Social capital–The ‘great democratiser’– Increases access for people

without cars•Ecological capital–Saving energy–Reducing greenhouse gases

and other pollutants

Public transit

•Economic capital–Reduced cost of living – Increased disposable income

•Human capital–Reduced disease due to air

pollution–Safer mode of transport–More active way of commuting

It takes a whole community to raise

healthy people