ВЕСТНИК ПЕРМСКОГО УНИВЕРСИТЕТА. ФИЛОСОФИЯ. ПСИХОЛОГИЯ. СОЦИОЛОГИЯ

VESTNIK PERMSKOGO UNIVERSITETA. SERIYA FILOSOFIA PSIKHOLOGIYA SOTSIOLOGIYA

DOI: 10.17072/2078-7898/2017-3-460-476

SOCIAL CAPITAL AS A CONCEPT AND PHENOMENON*

Plotnikova Elena Borisovna*
Ph.D. in History, Docent,
Head of the Department of Sociology

Perm State University,
15, Bukirev str., Perm, 614990, Russia;
e-mail: plotnikova1958@yandex.ru
ORCID: 0000-0003-3599-5215

Kuznetsov Alexander Evgen’evich
Ph.D. in Sociology,
Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology

Perm State University,
15, Bukirev str., Perm, 614990, Russia;
e-mail: kzntsv@list.ru
ORCID: 0000-0003-1699-6466

Markova Yulia Sergeevna
Senior Lecturer of the Department of Sociology

Perm State University,
15, Bukirev str., Perm, 614990, Russia;
e-mail: julyamarkova@gmail.com
ORCID: 0000-0002-6271-9403

The absence of a concerted approach to defining social capital has received a considerable attention in literature. The employment of the term is subject to critique and defense. The search for unitary definition is notoriously pursued. The paper claims that it is not the absence of the established definition that hinders the development of social capital research but the absence of a clear understanding of what is the object of the study. The paper reviews the development of the conception of social capital to identify abandoned alternative directions of conceptualization and the consequences resulting from the choice of Putnamite conception as its basis. The approach of Putnam goes back to Coleman’s understanding of social capital as an abstract construct. The less known approach of Bourdieu appears to be a more consistent one. For Bourdieu, as is for Marx, capital is a social relation which is embodied in thingly forms. While for Coleman, on the contrary, it is a thing embedded in relations. As a result, the derivative concept of social capital in the ‘Putnamite’ tradition is subject to circular definitions through other social relations, usually through the concepts of trust and norms. In literature these concepts’ definitions often tend to tautologies. The 3rd concept associated with social capital is that of social networks. These are empirically sound, a researchable object on its own, but the inclusion of social norms in definitions of social capital needs a justification other than giving the latter a phenomenon to study. The hindrances to the development of social capital research resulting from the choice of Putnam’s definition as basic are: the lack of trustworthy indicators, triviality of observations and of suggestions. The paper gives an overview of the primary results of the authors’ empirical research of social capital manifestations at the workplace, the qualitative stage.

Keywords: social capital, trust, social norm.

References

  1. Loury G.C. A Dynamic Theory of Racial Income Differences. Women, Minorities, and Employment Discrimination / ed. by P.A. Wallace, A.M. Lamond. Lexington, MA, Lexington Books, 1977, pp. 153–188. (In English).
  2. Bourdieu P. Les trois états du capital culturel [The three conditions of the cultural capital]. Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales [Proceedings of the Social Science Research]. 1979, Nov., vol. 30, L’institution scolaire, pp. 3–6. DOI: 10.3406/arss.1979.2654 (In French).
  3. Bourdieu P. (1985) The forms of capital. The RoutledgeFalmer reader in sociology of education /ed. by S.J. Ball. L.; N.Y., RoutledgeFalmer, 2004, pp. 15–29. (In English).
  4. Bourdieu P. Le capital social [The social capital]. Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales [Proceedings of the Social Science Research]. 1980, Jan, vol. 31, Le capital social, pp. 23–25. Available at: http://www.persee.fr/doc/arss_0335-5322_1980_num_31_1_2069 (accessed 01.06.2017). (In French).
  5. Bourdieu P. Ökonomisches Kapital, kulturelles Kapital, soziales Kapital [Economic capital, cultural capital, social capital]. SozialeUngleichheiten (Soziale Welt Sonderband 2) [SocialInequalities (Social World Special Volume 2)]. Göttingen, 1983, pp. 183–198. Available at: http://unirot.blogsport.de/images/bourdieukapital.pdf (accessed 07.04.2017). (In German).
  6. Coleman J.S. Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital. The American Journal of Sociology. 1988, vol. 94: Supplement: Organizations and Institutions: Sociological and Economic Approaches to the Analysis of Social Structure, pp. S95–S120. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2780243 (accessed 14.07.2017). (In English).
  7. Coleman J.S. Foundations of Social Theory. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1990. 993 p. (In English).
  8. Coleman J.S. Social Theory, Social Research, and a Theory of Action. The American Journal of Sociology. 1986, May, vol. 91, no. 6, pp. 1309–1335. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2779798 (accessed 20.07.2017). (In English).
  9. Putnam R.D. Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 1993, 247 p. (In English).
  10. Putnam R.D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York, Simon & Schuster, 2000, 544 p. (In English).
  11. Durlauf S.N., Fafchamps M. Social Capital. Handbook of Economic Growth / ed. by P. Aghion, S. Durlauf. Elsevier, 2005, vol. 1B, pp. 1639–1699. (In English).
  12. Hanifan L.J. The Rural School Community Center. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 1916, Sep., vol. 67: New Possibilities in Education, pp. 130–138. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1013498 (accessed 30.07.2017). (In English).
  13. Field J. Social capital. New York, Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008, 193 p. (In English).
  14. Castle E.N. Social Capital: An Interdisciplinary Concept. Rural Sociology. 2002, May, vol. 67(3), pp. 331–349. DOI: 10.1111/j.1549-0831.2002.tb00107.x. (In English).
  15. Marx K. Capital. Critique of Political Economy. Vol. 1 / tr. B. Fowkes. London, Penguin, 1976.(In English).
  16. Portes A. Social capital: Its origins and applications in modern sociology. Annual Review of Sociology. 1998, vol. 24, pp. 1–24. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/223472 (accessed 19.07.2017). (In English).
  17. Ostrom E. Social capital: A fad or fundamental concept? Social Capital: A Multifaceted Perspective / ed. by P. Dasgupta, I. Seragilden. Washington, D.C., The World Bank, 2000, pp. 172–214. (In English).
  18. Adler P.S., Kwon S. Social Capital: Prospects for a new concept. Academy of Management Review. 2002, vol. 27, pp. 17–40. DOI: 10.5465/AMR.2002.5922314. (In English).
  19. Putnam R.D. Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy. 1995, vol. 6(1), pp. 65–78. (In English).
  20. Woolcock M. Social capital and economic development: Toward a theoretical synthesis and policy framework. Theory and Society. 1998, vol. 27(2), pp. 151–208. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/657866 (accessed 10.07.2017). (In English).
  21. Inglehart R. Modernization and post-modernization: Cultural, economic, and political change in 43 societies. Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 1997, 464 p. (In English).
  22. Robison L.J., Siles M.E., Songqing J. Social capital and the distribution of household income in the United States. The Journal of Socio-Economics. 2011, vol. 40, pp. 538–547. DOI:10.1016/j.socec.2011.04.004. (In English).
  23. Woolcock M. The place of social capital in understanding social and economic outcomes. Isuma: Canadian Journal of Policy Research. 2001, vol. 2(1), pp. 11–17. Available at: http://www.social-capital.net/docs/
    The%20Place%20of%20Social%20Capital.pdf (accessed 10.07.2017). (In English).
  24. Kwon S.-W., Adler P.S. Social Capital: Maturation of a Field of Research. Academy of Management Review.2014, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 412–422. DOI: 10.5465/amr.2014.0210. (In English).
  25. DeFilippis J. The Myth of Social Capital in Community Development. Housing Policy Debate. 2001, vol. 12, iss. 4, pp. 781–806. Available at: http://www.urbancenter.utoronto.ca/pdfs/elibrary/DeFilippis_Myth-of-Social-C.pdf (accessed 28.07.2017). (In English).
  26. Sobel J. Can We Trust Social Capital? Journal of Economic Literature. 2002, Mar., vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 139–154. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2698596 (accessed 20.07.2017). (In English).
  27. Seligman A. The problem of trust. Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 1997. 224 p. (In English).
  28. Germanov I.A., Plotnikova E.B. Konceptualizacija i operacionalizacija ponjatija «social’nyj kapital» v issledovanijah organizacij [Conceptualization and Operationalization of the Concept of Social Capital in Organizational Research]. Vestnik Permskogo universiteta. Filosofija. Psihologija. Sociologija. [Perm University Herald. Series «Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology»]. 2017, iss. 1, pp. 106–114. DOI: 10.17072/2078-7898/2017-1-106-114 (accessed 14.07.2017). (In Russian).
  29. Sunderland D. Social Capital, Trust and the Industrial Revolution. 1780–1880. N.Y., Routledge, 2007, 251 p. (In English).
  30. Bowles S., Gintis H. Social Capital and Community Governance. The Economic Journal. 2002, vol. 112, iss. 483, pp. 419–436. Available at: www.umass.edu/preferen/gintis/soccapej.pdf (accessed 20.07.2017). (In English).
  31. Fafchamps M. Market institutions in sub-Saharan Africa: theory and evidence. L. & Cambridge, MA,The MIT Press, 2004, 500 p. (In English).
  32. Fafchamps M., Gubert F. The Formation of Risk Sharing Networks. Global Poverty Research Group GPRG-WPS-037. 2005. Available at: https://web.stanford.edu/~fafchamp/netphil.pdf (accessed 22.07.2017). (In English).
  33. Gambetta D. Can We Trust Trust? Trust: Making and Breaking Cooperative Relations / ed. by D. Gambetta. N.Y., Basil Blackwell, 1988, pp. 213–237. (In English).
  34. Walker G., Kogut B., Shan W. Social Capital, Structural Holes and the Formation of an Industry Network. Organization Science. 1997, Mar.-Apr., vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 109–125. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2635305 (accessed 10.07.2017). (In English).
  35. Banfield E. The Moral Basis of a Backward Society. N.Y., Free Press, 1958, 199 p. (In English).
  36. Gambetta D. Mafia: the Price of Distrust. Trust: Making and Breaking Cooperative Relations / ed. by D. Gambetta. N.Y., Basil Blackwell, 1988, pp. 158–175. (In English).
  37. Coleman J.S. Norms as Social Capital. Economic Imperialism: The Economic Approach Applied Outside the Field of Economics / ed. by G. Radnitzky, P. Bernholz. N.Y., Paragon House Publishers, 1987, pp. 133–155. (In English).
  38. Fukuyama F. Velikij razryv [The Great Disruption]. Moscow, AST Publ., 2008, 476 p. (In Russian).
  39. Coleman J.S. The Vision of Foundations of Social Theory. Analyse & Kritik [Analysis & Criticism]. 1992, vol. 14, pp. 117–128. Available at: http://analyse-und-kritik.net/1992-2/AK_Coleman_1992.pdf (accessed 20.07.2017). (In English).
  40. Stichweh R. Systems Theory as an Alternative to Action Theory? The Rise of ‘Communication’ as a Theoretical Option. Acta Sociologica. 2000, vol. 43, pp. 5–13. Available at: https://www.fiw.uni-bonn.de/demokratieforschung/personen/stichweh/pdfs/11_stw_systems-theory-as-an-alternative-to-action-theory-2000.pdf (accessed 20.07.2017). (In English).
  41. Young H.P. Social norms. The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics / ed. by S.N. Durlauf, L.E. Blume. L., Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. (In English).
  42. Bicchieri C., Muldoon R. Social Norms. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy /ed. by E.N. Zalta. 2014. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2014/entries/social-norms/ (accessed 22.07.2017). (In English).
  43. Lewis D. Convention: A Philosophical Study. Cambridge MA, Harvard University Press, 1969. (In English).
  44. Bicchieri C. The Grammar of Society: The Nature and Dynamics of Social Norms. New York, Cambridge University Press, 2006, 234 p. (In English).
  45. Gibbs J. Norms: the Problem of Definition and Classification. American Journal of Sociology. 1965, vol. 70, pp. 586–594. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2774978 (accessed 27.07.2017). (In English).
  46. Detel W. On the Concept of Basic Social Norms. Analyse & Kritik [Analysis & Criticism]. 2008, vol. 30, pp. 469–482. Available at: http://www.analyse-und-kritik.net/2008-2/AK_Detel_2008.pdf (accessed 27.07.2017). (In English).
  47. Koput K.W. Social capital: An Introduction to Managing Networks. Cheltenham, UK, & Northampton, MA, Edward Elgar, 2010, 172 
  48. Granovetter M.S. The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology. 1973, May, vol. 78, no. 6, pp. 1360–1380. DOI: 10.1086/225469. (In English).
  49. Granovetter M.S. The strength of weak ties: A network theory revisited. Sociological Theory. 1983, vol. 1, pp. 201–233. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/202051 (accessed 27.07.2017). (In English).
  50. Szreter S., Woolcock M. Health by association? Social capital, social theory, and the political economy of public health. International Journal of Epidemiology. 2004, vol. 33(4), pp. 650–667. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyh013. (In English).
  51. Andriani L. Social Capital: a Road Map of Theoretical Frameworks and Empirical Limitations. BWPMA 1301. 2013. Available at: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/management/docs/workingpapers/WP1.pdf (accessed 21.07.2017). (In English).
  52. Granovetter M.S. The Impact of Social Structure on Economic Outcomes. The Journal of Economic Perspectives. 2005, Winter, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 33–50. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4134991 (accessed 27.07.2017). (In English).
  53. Burt R.S. Brokerage and Closure: An Introduction to Social Capital. Oxford, New York, Oxford University Press, 2005, 279 p. (In English).
  54. Burt R.S. Structural holes: the social structure of competition. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1995, 313 
  55. Burt R.S. Structural Holes versus Network Closure as Social Capital. Social capital: theory and research / ed. by N. Lin, K. Cook, R.S. Burt. New York, Walter de Gruyter, 2001, pp. 31–56. (In English).
  56. Lin N. Social Capital: a Theory of Social Structure and Action. New York, Cambridge University Press, 2001, 278 p. (In English).
  57. Bowles S. «Social capital» and community governance. Focus. 1999, Fall, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 6–10. Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/af36/460383d7487398125dff3b28eb1421cc188a.pdf (accessed 13.07.2017). (In English).
  58. Boix C., Posner D.N. Social Capital: Explaining Its Origins and Effects on Government Performance. British Journal of Political Science.1998, vol. 28, iss. 04, pp. 686–693. DOI: 10.1017/S0007123498000313. (In English).
  59. Elster J. Coleman on social norms. Revue française de sociologie [French Sociology Journal].2003, vol. 44(2), pp. 297–304. Available at: https://cdn.uclouvain.be/public/Exports%20reddot/cr-cridis/documents/elster_sur_coleman.pdf (accessed 28.07.2017). (In English).
  60. Tilly C. James S. Coleman as a guide to social research. The American Sociologist. 1997, June, vol. 28, iss. 2, pp. 82–87. DOI: 10.1007/s12108-997-1009-0. (In English).
  61. Fine B. Social Capital versus Social Theory. Political Economy and Social Science at the Turn of the Millennium, London, New York, Routledge, 2002, 293 p. (In English).
  62. Arrow K. Observations on Social Capital. Social Capital. A Multifaceted Perspective / ed. by P. Dasgupta, I. Serageldin. Washington, D.C., The World Bank, 1999, 3–5. (In English).
  63. Lin N., Fu Y., Hsung R.-M. The Position Generator: Measurement Techniques for Investigations of Social Capital in Social capital: theory and research. Social capital: theory and research / ed. by N. Lin, K. Cook, R.S. Burt. New York, Walter de Gruyter, 2001, pp. 57–83. (In English).
  64. Sabatini F. The Empirics of Social Capital and Economic Development: A Critical Perspective. NOTA DI LAVORO [Working Note]. 2006, Jan., vol. 15. Available at: http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/12097/1/wp060015.pdf (accessed 22.07.2017). (In English).
  65. Durlauf S.N. The case «against» social capital. Focus. 1999, Fall, Vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 1–5. Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/af36/460383d7487398125dff3b28eb1421cc188a.pdf (accessed 10.07.2017). (In English).
  66. Robison L.J., Schmid A.A., Siles M.E. Is social capital really capital? Review of Social Economy. 2002, March, vol. LX, P. 1–21. DOI: 10.1080/00346760110127074. (In English).
  67. Dasgupta P. Social Capital and Economic Performance: Analytics. 2002. URL: Available at: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.200.474&rep=rep1&type=pdf (accessed 20.07.2017). (In English).
  68. Solow R.M. Notes on Social Capital and Economic Performance. Social Capital. A Multifaceted Perspective / ed. by P. Dasgupta, I. Serageldin. Washington, D.C., The World Bank, 2000, pp. 6–12.(In English).
  69. Hawkins R.L., Maurer K. Bonding, Bridging and Linking: How Social Capital Operated in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. British Journal of Social Work. 2010, vol. 40, pp. 1777–1793. DOI:10.1093/bjsw/bcp087. (In English).
  70. Fulkerson G.M., Thompson G.H. The Evolution of a Contested Concept: A Meta-Analysis of Social Capital Definitions and Trends (1988–2006). Sociological Inquiry. 2008, Nov., vol. 78, no. 4, pp. 536–557. DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-682X.2008.00260.x.(In English).
  71. Kuhn T. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago, IL, University of Chicago Press, 1962, 210 p. (In English).
  72. Garfinkel H., Lynch M., Livingston E. The Work of a Discovering Science Construed with Materials from the Optically Discovered Pulsar. Philosophy of the Social Sciences. 1981, June, pp. 131–158. (In English).
  73. McCracken G. The Long Interview. Qualitative Research Methods. Series 13. Newbury Park, CA, Sage, 1988, 88 p. (In English).
  74. Campbell D.T., Stanley J.C. Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research. Chicago, Rand McNally, 1966, 85
  75. Flyvbjerg B. Five Misunderstandings about Case-Study Research. Qualitative Inquiry. 2006, Apr., vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 219–245. Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2230464 (accessed 19.11.2015). (In English).
  76. Sudman S., Bradburn N., Schwartz N. Thinking about Answers. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996, 305 p. (In English).

The date of the manuscript receipt 01.08.2017

Please cite this article in English as:

Plotnikova E.B., Kuznetsov A.E., Markova Yu.S. Social capital as a concept and phenomenon // Perm University Herald. Series «Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology». 2017. Iss. 3. P.460476. DOI: 10.17072/2078-7898/2017-3-460-476


* Публикация подготовлена при финансовой поддержке РФФИ, проект «Социальный капитал организации как фактор модернизации российской промышленности (на примере предприятий Пермского края)», № 16-03-00374.