Beyond Social Capital: Social Justice in Recovery and Resilience

Focusing on the case of post-Katrina New Orleans, this essay argues that the framework of social capital used by Daniel Aldrich in Building Resilience needs to be supplemented by an explicit account of social justice. Policymakers must recognize the ways in which social capital can exacerbate deep social inequalities that impact residents' vulnerability to disasters. Concern with strengthening social capital should be matched by concern with rectifying severe inequalities.