Building up Social Capital. A case study from the community Santa Marta, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Scientific Study from the year 2013 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Development Politics, grade: 1,4, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg (Politcal Science), course: Peace and Conflict Studies, language: English, abstract: The purpose of this paper is to identify and examine the presence of social capital in a slum of Rio de Janeiro city after the implementation of the public security policy that introduced the Police Pacification Units (UPPs) in 2008. Based on fieldwork conducted in the slum Santa Marta, this research presents an analysis of the informal networks of sociability in this community. It was the first community in the city to receive a UPP, which was created to regain territorial control of the slums. This paper demonstrates how solid social networks in slum areas constitute a form of social capital that encourages public safety and thereby facilitates the social order. The ultimate goal is to provide some recommendations to integrate this unique kind of environment into the formal city.