Doctoral Dissertation Research: Participation and Social Capital Creation

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In developing the concept of social capital, sociologists have extended the general meaning of capital - the investment in the acquisition or creation of a resource with the expectation of a return beyond the cost of the initial investment - to apply to social networks. Social capital refers to both the productive benefits of social relationships for the economic status of individuals, and the forces that act to preserve the social resources of densely-connected, homogenous communities. This project builds on the social network foundations of the concept of social capital to determine how 1) participation in certain types of organizations and activities affects an individual's social capital, and 2) an individual's level of social capital affects economic success, tolerance, health, and happiness. To answer these questions, the project gathers data from a questionnaire sent to 1000 households in Miami, Florida. The data measure participation in political, civic, religious, work, and informal organizations; social network ties to persons in a representative set of occupations; and personal characteristics relating to economic status, health, happiness, and tolerance. Analysis of the data identifies how social capital is created, what benefits it can bring to individuals, and if it is harmed by the decline in participation in certain types of organizations.