Politicians around the world are interested in finding new ways to involve people in making decisions about the way public servies in their area are run. This report explores whether policies to involve people are effective in building strong social networks. The question at hand: Do policies to promote community participation in governance build social capital? One of the main findings is that as a result of these policies those already well connected tend to get better connected. The report identifies a number of 'barriers to entry' for those not involved in governance. It proposes some valuable solutions to raise levels public involvement on the one hand, and, on the other hand, to improve the contributions of those already participating.