Social Capital, Urban Settings and Demographic Behavior in Latin America

Based on probabilistic samples of 12,000 adults in eight Latin American countries, this article studies two dimensions of social capital-(1) community participation and (2) trust in neighbors- and their relation with urbanization, fertility, out-migration, and crime. Its purpose is to determine whether social capital explains some of the differential demographic behavior of urban populations. The data show that social capital clearly declines with urbanization, although the urban-poor show a bit higher community participation. There is a clear gradient of increased crime and reduced social capital related to urbanization. The relationship between social capital and fertility and migration is less clear and often restricted to certain sub-populations. The urban-poor do not exhibit demographic behavior significantly different than the expected given its compositional and spatial characteristics.