Social capital has become a ubiquitous part of community-based development theory over the last decade, especially at the World Bank. The idea presumes that the key to poverty alleviation lies in the capacity of a community to develop collectively beneficial activities and institutions. Trust and cooperation, in this view, are fundamental values that determine success. This rosy picture of solidarity, however, has a significant blind spot: it places the burden of change on individual behavior while ignoring the inequalities and entrenched power struggles that lie behind poverty.