Social capital has been described as
a lubricant that facilitates getting things done
. It allows people to work together and to access benefits from social relationships. Social capital allows modern economies to function efficiently.
It
provides the region a social environment in which productive cooperation in all spheres of civic life is possible
. Thus, social capital promotes eco- nomic growth (Fukuyama 1995; Knack and Keefer 1997). Putnam (1995a, 1995b) popularized the notion of social capital in a follow-up essay titled Bowling Alone.
Through trust, sharing, reciprocity and collective action, individuals or groups can
expand their capacity to access resources and thereby address their own needs or interests
. Social capital thus can be considered as a ‘tool’ in facilitating community activities.
Social capital
supports success and education in the form of the disciplinary and academic climate at school
, and also the cultural norms and values that motivate students to achieve higher goals. Putnam (2000) states that child and youth development is strongly shaped by social capital in school.
Societal level examples of social capital include
when someone opens a door for someone, returns a lost item to a stranger
, gives someone directions, loans something without a contract, and any other beneficial interaction between people, even if they don’t know each other.
There are three types of social capital –
bonding, bridging, and linking
. Social capital can make or break businesses. By having a wide range of connections, some are able to thrive as they are able to get work done more effectively and efficiently.
Government programs
are most effective in promoting community level social capital when they view participants as producers, not clients, and develop a facilitative, participatory structure. Both these features increase autonomy of the participants.
Social capital is defined by the OECD as
“networks together with
.
shared norms, values and understandings that facilitate co-operation within or among groups”
. In this definition, we can think of networks as real-world links between groups or individuals.
High levels of social capital in
local communities can influence health through the spread of healthy norms
(23). Further, collective social capital is believed to facilitate faster and wider diffusion of (health) information and knowledge, which thereby can affect health (24).
In summation, the concept of social capital is
a useful tool for understanding differences among student learning outcomes
. Nations with high stocks of social capital are more likely to produce students with better academic performance than nations with low stocks.
- Cultivate trust. …
- Capitalize on unstructured relationship-building moments. …
- Engage students in extracurricular opportunities. …
- Encourage students to support one another in person. …
- Show students that social media can be a positive resource to connect people.
Social capital, as argued by sociologist James Coleman, is defined as
those intangible resources that come embedded within interpersonal relationships or social institutions
. They can be as strong as that of family members, friends, colleagues or fellow students, or as weak as distant LinkedIn connections.
Elements of social capital such as
trust, social support, membership of associations, perceived safety on campus and neighbourhood
are important aspects of social life.
Family social capital
represents social capital developed among family members internally within the family firm
. However, family firms also rely on ties developed with external individuals and organizations. This is a separate body of social capital termed OSC.
Social capital revolves around three dimensions:
interconnected networks of relationships between individuals and groups (social ties or social participation)
, levels of trust that characterize these ties, and resources or benefits that are both gained and transferred by virtue of social ties and social participation.
- Network proactively. …
- Be strategic. …
- Create a diverse network. …
- Pay it forward and leverage relationships. …
- Set aside dedicated time each week to network. …
- Keep in touch with former colleagues and alums. …
- Focus your social media networking efforts.