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Social Capital

👥 Sociology By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated
Quick answer: Social capital is the resource found in social relationships, such as networks, trust, norms and reciprocity, that helps individuals and communities cooperate and achieve goals.
Contents
  1. 1. Three classic definitions
  2. 2. Bonding, bridging and linking
  3. 3. Strength of weak ties
  4. 4. Policy and practice
  5. 5. Criticisms
  6. 6. References

Three classic definitions

  • Bourdieu: alongside economic and cultural capital, the actual or potential resources linked to a durable network, a means by which elites reproduce advantage.
  • Coleman: aspects of social structure that facilitate action, such as obligations, information channels and norms with sanctions; network closure among parents helped students stay in school.
  • Putnam: civic traditions explained regional government performance in Italy (1993), and Bowling Alone (2000) documented declining civic engagement and trust in the United States.

Bonding, bridging and linking

Bonding capital ties similar people closely; bridging capital connects different groups; linking capital (Woolcock) connects people to institutions with power. Bonding alone can become exclusionary.

Strength of weak ties

Granovetter (1973) found job information travels better through acquaintances than close friends, evidence for bridging capital.

Policy and practice

Community building, community organising, the social economy and participation programmes aim to build social capital, which research links to health, crime and education outcomes.

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Criticisms

The concept is broad and hard to measure, can confuse causes with effects, includes harmful forms such as criminal networks, and risks shifting structural problems onto communities.

References

  1. Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241-258). Greenwood.
  2. Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95-S120.
  3. Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon & Schuster.
  4. Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360-1380.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

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This article was last updated on October 15, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.