The measurement of social capital

Abstract

Social capital has been defined as the resources available to individuals and groups through membership in social networks. The definition is consistent with either an individualistic approach, i.e. resources (such as information or instrumental assistance) that are accessed by individuals through their network connections; or a collective approach, e.g. the benefits accruing to members of a group – such as the ability of a community to engage in collective action – as a consequence of the existence of cohesive relationships. While research often restricts itself to a single level of analysis, the benefits (and downsides) of social capital accrue to both the individual as well as to the network to which he belongs. In the Dictionary of Epidemiology both the individual and collective levels of analysis were recognized in the definition of social capital. El concepto de capital social se ha definido como los recursos a disposición de individuos y grupos que forman parte de un entramado/red social. Esta definición es válida tanto desde un punto de vista individual como colectivo. En el primer caso, se refiere a recursos como información o asistencia instrumental a los que los individuos acceden a través de su entramado/red social. En el segundo, se trataría de beneficios que obtiene un grupo de individuos (como la capacidad de una comunidad para organizarse en acciones colectivas) como consecuencia de la existencia de relaciones sociales cohesionadas. Aunque el estudio del concepto se ha restringido a veces a un único nivel de análisis, los beneficios (y los inconvenientes) del capital social corresponden tanto al individuo como a la red social de la que forma parte. En el Diccionario de Epidemiología se recogen ambos niveles de análisis en la definición de capital social.

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