Social Capital An International Research Program

by Lin, Nan; Erickson, Bonnie

• ISBN13: 9780199234387
• ISBN10: 0199234388
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-05-27
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

For two decades, a significant number of scholars have subscribed to a common definition of social capital (resources embedded in social networks), employed a standard measurement (the position generator methodology), and conducted original research. Their sustained efforts have demonstrated the power of the concept of social capital in diverse arenas of research and varied cultural and societal settings. Their work has contributed to the substantiation, development, and expansion of social capital as a key scientific concept and theory. This book presents an introduction to some of the most recent work in the area. The volume editors have brought together scholars in North America, Europe, and East Asia to offer original and accessible reports of their own research studies. Covering both methodological and substantive issues, they demonstrate the continued importance of social capital as a guiding concept and theory in social sciences today.

Author Biography

Nan Lin is Oscar L. Tang Family Professor of Sociology, Duke University. He has conducted research on social capital, social networks, stratification and mobility, and stress coping in the United States, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. He has written or edited seven books and published numerous book chapters and journal articles. He is also an Academician at Academia Sinica in Taiwan and holds honorary professorship in many universities in China.
Erickson received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of British Columbia before moving to Harvard where she completed her Doctorate in Social Relations. She then spent three years as an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University before joining the faculty at University of Toronto in 1973. In addition to her work in the Department of Sociology, Erickson is currently cross-appointed to the Centre for Studies on Aging, the Centre for Urban and Community Studies, the Centre for Industrial Relations, and is on the Board of Directors of the Centre for Health Promotion. Erickson has published articles on a wide variety of topics, getting printed in publications including the Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, American Sociological Review, Social Networks, and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. ix
List of Tables	p. xi
List of Abbreviations	p. xvii
List of Contributors	p. xix
Theory, Measurement, and the Research Enterprise on Social Capital	p. 1
The Position Generator Methodology: Its Reliability, Validity, and Variation
Position Generator Measures and Their Relationship to Other Social Capital Measures	p. 27
Position Generator and Actual Networks in Everyday Life: An Evaluation with Contact Diary	p. 49
Social, Cultural, and Economic Capital and Job Attainment: The Position Generator as a Measure of Cultural and Economic Resources	p. 65
The Formation of Social Capital among Chinese Urbanites: Theoretical Explanation and Empirical Evidence	p. 81
Mobilization of Social Capital
The Invisible Hand of Social Capital: An Exploratory Study	p. 107
Social Resources and Their Effect on Occupational Attainment through the Life Course	p. 133
A Question of Access or Mobilization? Understanding Inefficacious Job Referral Networks among the Black Poor	p. 157
Social Capital, Civil Engagement, Social Participation, and Trust
Social Networks of Participants in Voluntary Associations	p. 185
The Internet, Social Capital, Civic Engagement, and Gender in Japan	p. 206
Social Capital of Personnel Managers: Causes and Return of Position-Generated Networks and Participation in Voluntary Associations	p. 234
It's Not Only Who You Know, It's Also Where They Are: Using the Position Generator to Investigate the Structure of Access to Embedded Resources	p. 255
Gender, Network Capital, Social Capital, and Political Capital: The Consequences of Personal Network Diversity for Environmentalists in British Columbia	p. 282
Civic Participation and Social Capital: A Social Network Analysis in Two American Counties	p. 308
Social Institutions and Inequality in Social Capital
Why Some Occupations Are Better Known Than Others	p. 331
Marriage, Gender, and Social Capital	p. 342
Access to Social Capital and Status Attainment in the United States: Racial/Ethnic and Gender Differences	p. 364
Access to Social Capital and the Structure of Inequality in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	p. 380
Assessing Social Capital and Attainment Dynamics: Position Generator Applications in Hungary, 1987-2003	p. 394
References	p. 421
Index	p. 446
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