Social Capital’s Role in SDG 3 of 2030 Agenda: Promoting Health and Well-Being

Abstract

[Abstract] Over the last thirty years, interest in social capital, a concept-variable that uncovers the productive value of the attributes of the social dimension (norms and values, networks of relationships, trust), has grown exponentially. Social capital has come to inform numerous fields and areas of knowledge. Analysing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda precipitates various contributions that social capital can make. This chapter focuses on its role in health and well-being, the two constituent elements of SDG 3. In reviewing the set of SDGs proposed by the United Nations in the 2030 Agenda and exploring the contextualisation of SDG 3 within the overall framework of the literature on social capital, it was concluded that understanding the mechanisms underlying social capital can contribute significantly to sustainable development in the area of health (physical and mental) and well-being (objective and subjective). It implies that social capital can play a relevant role beyond other technical, financing and even awareness-raising considerations in favour of SDG 3.