Social Capital 2026 brings together leading thinkers and practitioners from around the world to explore the power and potential of social capital in today’s complex and interconnected world. Our keynote speakers are internationally recognised for their groundbreaking research and practical contributions to the field. They will share fresh insights, challenge assumptions, and inspire new ways of thinking about trust, networks, and the social fabric that underpins resilient societies.
We are delighted to announce our keynote speakers
The conference will feature three internationally recognised keynote speakers. They will be added to this page as they are confirmed.
Robert D. Putnam
Robert D. Putnam is the Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the British Academy, and past president of the American Political Science Association, in 2006 he received the Skytte Prize, the world's highest accolade for a political scientist. In 2012 Barack Obama awarded Bob the National Humanities Medal, the nation’s highest honor for contributions to the humanities. He has written fifteen books, translated into twenty languages, including Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Italy and Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, both among the most cited (and bestselling) social science works in nearly a century. He has consulted for Presidents Carter, Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama, as well as presidents and prime ministers from the UK, Ireland, and Finland to South Korea and Singapore. His most recent book, The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again (2020), is a widely praised study of broad 20th century American economic, social, political, and cultural trends.
Raj Chetty
Raj Chetty is the William A. Ackman Professor of Economics at Harvard University and the Director of Opportunity Insights, which uses big data to study the science of economic opportunity: how we can give children from all backgrounds better chances of succeeding? Chetty’s work has been widely cited in academia, media outlets, and policy discussions in the United States and beyond.
Chetty received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2003 and is one of the youngest tenured professors in Harvard’s history. He has received numerous awards for his research, including a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, the John Bates Clark medal, given to the economist under 40 whose work is judged to have made the most significant contribution to the field, and Harvard’s George Ledlie prize, awarded for research that made the most valuable contribution to science, or in any way for the benefit of mankind.
Beate Völker
Beate Völker is a prominent German-born sociologist and professor at Utrecht University, known for her research on social networks, social cohesion, and urban communities. She currently serves as the Scientific Director of the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR). Völker’s work explores how social capital is shaped not only by personal choices but also by institutional and environmental contexts such as neighborhoods, workplaces, and cities. Her contributions, including large-scale longitudinal studies on personal networks, have deepened our understanding of how social structures influence well-being and societal stability.