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Theory and Measurement in Social Capital Research

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Abstract

In 1988, James Coleman observed that “social capital is defined by its function. It is not a single entity but a variety of different entities, with two elements in common: they all consist of some aspect of social structures, and they facilitate certain actions of actors-whether persons or corporate actors-within the structure.” If one looks at the state of social capital research, it is clear that this is truer than ever before. This paper seeks to help researchers overcome the major challenges of social capital research, namely, measuring a concept that is notoriously difficult for measurement and choosing among the exhaustive list of direct, casual and consequential measures. It does so by arguing for a typology of social capital that considers five major types of social capital and then reviewing a diverse selection of data available from national surveys. This provides a resource for scholars wishing to pursue large-scale social capital research. Additionally, it draws six lessons from this body of theory and measurement to improve the study of social capital.

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Notes

  1. The number of lawyers has been presented theoretically as a potential measure of trust (Putnam 2001) but we are unaware of any study to yet use this measure.

  2. Inkeles (2000) has also measured social isolation through the proxy of community levels of suicide.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Southern Indiana, 8600 University Blvd, Evansville, IN, 47712, USA

    Trent A. Engbers

  2. Department of Sociology, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle, #311157, Denton, TX, 76203-5017, USA

    Michael F. Thompson

  3. Indiana Business Research Center, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47404, USA

    Timothy F. Slaper

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  1. Trent A. Engbers
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Engbers, T.A., Thompson, M.F. & Slaper, T.F. Theory and Measurement in Social Capital Research. Soc Indic Res 132, 537–558 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1299-0

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