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Having been doing background reading on issues of social capital and development, it seems to me there are certain structures that could be described as the weeds of social capital - networks that form when no other forms of cooperation are present, and that then take control, strangling more benign structures. Examples include youth gangs, rogue military units, the mafia and bandits. They come in many different styles, but with a similar underlying structure - essentially a group of men, with very strong within-group bonds, and a predatory or hostile view of outsiders. The linchpin of these structures seems to me to be male bonding - by which I mean, the ability of men under pressure to form extremely strong bonds of trust and cooperation with each other and then act aggressively against others outside the group. Other forms of cooperation and networking are slower to form, and so get pushed aside in periods of chaos or uncertainty. The process could almost be compared with chemical reactions (here I have to fall back on my limited high school chemistry) - certain types of bonds between atoms are very quick to form, others are slower and less likely to happen, and the relative strengths dictate the resulting compounds. Could anybody recommend further reading along these lines? Especially research that looks at male bonding and social networks. Best, Geoffrey Williams __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com