Community networks, social capital, public benefits, government policy,
Abstract
In general, healthy networks seem to result in improved community welfare i.e., they are characteristic of public benefits. The converse is true of unhealthy networks. This paper explores if healthy networks are where limited government funding should be focused in order to get the greatest social payback, or if these funds should be spent helping to improve the strength of less healthy networks and communities, in order to improve the well-being of the country as a whole. It will do so by examining if community networks, both virtual and place-based, create public benefits on both the macro and micro levels.
