IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/qualqt/v57y2023i4d10.1007_s11135-022-01471-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Implications of Social Capital on Life satisfaction in a Stratified Society: Gendering the Bonding, Bridging, and Linking framework using representative samples of India

Author

Listed:
  • Chinglen Laishram

    (Central University of Gujarat)

  • Khaikholen Haokip

    (Central University of Gujarat)

Abstract

Subjective wellbeing (happiness or life satisfaction) has become a fundamental goal in assessing social progress. However, given the limited understanding of the drivers of SWB in the context of India, formulating public policy has been difficult. The current study attempted to address this difficulty by examining social capital, or a particular type of it, as a potential predictor of life satisfaction. Further, we surmised that given the inherence of sharp gender-based social stratification in Indian society, the relationship between social capital and life satisfaction is bound to be different for males and females. We used trifurcate theoretical descriptions of social capital—bonding, bridging, and linking—and conducted principal component analysis (PCA) to empirically identify distinct components of social capital utilizing the data extracted from the sixth wave of the World Values Survey (2010–2014). In India’s gender-based stratified society, we found that men tend to have higher social capital levels than women. The multivariate regression analyses reveal gender preferences of social capital: while bridging social capital was significantly crucial for happiness among men, it was bonding social capital for women. We found that linking social capital predicts life satisfaction for both genders, indicating that policies to improve the functioning of, and nurturing a trustworthy environment towards formal institutions—such as the legislative and judiciary bodies—among the citizens, may maximize and optimize their happiness.

Suggested Citation

  • Chinglen Laishram & Khaikholen Haokip, 2023. "Implications of Social Capital on Life satisfaction in a Stratified Society: Gendering the Bonding, Bridging, and Linking framework using representative samples of India," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 3039-3063, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:qualqt:v:57:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s11135-022-01471-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11135-022-01471-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11135-022-01471-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11135-022-01471-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ngamaba, Kayonda Hubert & Armitage, Christopher & Panagioti, Maria & Hodkinson, Alexander, 2020. "How closely related are financial satisfaction and subjective well-being? Systematic review and meta-analysis," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    2. Tong Zou & Yikun Su & Yaowu Wang, 2018. "Examining Relationships between Social Capital, Emotion Experience and Life Satisfaction for Sustainable Community," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, July.
    3. Lívia Bedin & Jorge Sarriera, 2015. "A comparative study of the subjective well-being of parents and adolescents considering gender, age and social class," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 120(1), pages 79-95, January.
    4. Benjamin Schalembier, 2019. "An Evaluation of Common Explanations for the Impact of Income Inequality on Life Satisfaction," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 777-794, March.
    5. Robert Cummins, 2000. "Personal Income and Subjective Well-being: A Review," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 133-158, June.
    6. Peter Moran, 2005. "Structural vs. relational embeddedness: social capital and managerial performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(12), pages 1129-1151, December.
    7. Pretty, Jules & Ward, Hugh, 2001. "Social Capital and the Environment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 209-227, February.
    8. Christian Kroll, 2011. "Different Things Make Different People Happy: Examining Social Capital and Subjective Well-Being by Gender and Parental Status," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 104(1), pages 157-177, October.
    9. Leeves, Gareth.D. & Herbert, Ric., 2014. "Gender differences in social capital investment: Theory and evidence," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 377-385.
    10. Borg, Riikka & Toikka, Arho & Primmer, Eeva, 2015. "Social capital and governance: a social network analysis of forest biodiversity collaboration in Central Finland," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 90-97.
    11. Yoosun Chu & Ce Shen & Jie Yang, 2018. "Country-Level Bonding, Bridging, and Linking Social Capital and Immigrants’ Life Satisfaction," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 13(3), pages 745-759, September.
    12. Christoph Wunder & Andrea Wiencierz & Johannes Schwarze & Helmut Küchenhoff, 2013. "Well-Being over the Life Span: Semiparametric Evidence from British and German Longitudinal Data," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 95(1), pages 154-167, March.
    13. Jan-Michael Becker & Christian Ringle & Marko Sarstedt & Franziska Völckner, 2015. "How collinearity affects mixture regression results," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 643-659, December.
    14. Ada Ferrer-i-Carbonell & Paul Frijters, 2004. "How Important is Methodology for the estimates of the determinants of Happiness?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 114(497), pages 641-659, July.
    15. Zeynep B. Ugur, 2020. "Does Having Children Bring Life Satisfaction in Europe?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 1385-1406, April.
    16. Johan Graafland & Bjorn Lous, 2019. "Income Inequality, Life Satisfaction Inequality and Trust: A Cross Country Panel Analysis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(6), pages 1717-1737, August.
    17. Agarwal, Bina, 2000. "Conceptualising Environmental Collective Action: Why Gender Matters," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 24(3), pages 283-310, May.
    18. de Ree, Joppe & Alessie, Rob, 2011. "Life satisfaction and age: Dealing with underidentification in age-period-cohort models," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 177-182, July.
    19. Ed Diener & Ed Sandvik & Larry Seidlitz & Marissa Diener, 1993. "The relationship between income and subjective well-being: Relative or absolute?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 195-223, March.
    20. L.J. Hanifan, 1916. "The Rural School Community Center," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 67(1), pages 130-138, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ning Li, 2016. "Multidimensionality of Longitudinal Data: Unlocking the Age-Happiness Puzzle," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 128(1), pages 305-320, August.
    2. Junji Kageyama & Kazuma Sato, 2021. "Explaining the U-shaped life satisfaction: dissatisfaction as a driver of behavior," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 179-202, July.
    3. David G. Blanchflower & Carol L. Graham, 2022. "The Mid-Life Dip in Well-Being: a Critique," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 287-344, May.
    4. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Smyth, Russell & Farrell, Lisa, 2020. "Fuel poverty and subjective wellbeing," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    5. Gundi Knies, 2022. "Effects of Income and Material Deprivation on Children’s Life Satisfaction: Evidence from Longitudinal Data for England (2009–2018)," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 1469-1492, April.
    6. John F. Helliwell & Haifang Huang & Max B. Norton & Shun Wang, 2019. "Happiness at Different Ages: The Social Context Matters," Springer Books, in: Mariano Rojas (ed.), The Economics of Happiness, chapter 0, pages 455-481, Springer.
    7. Põllumäe, Priit & Lilleleht, Ando & Korjus, Henn, 2016. "Institutional barriers in forest owners' cooperation: The case of Estonia," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 9-16.
    8. Stefano Bartolini & Francesco Sarracino, 2014. "It's not the economy, stupid! How social capital and GDP relate to happiness over time," Papers 1411.2138, arXiv.org.
    9. Bernhard Christoph, 2010. "The Relation Between Life Satisfaction and the Material Situation: A Re-Evaluation Using Alternative Measures," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 98(3), pages 475-499, September.
    10. BARTOLINI Stefano & SARRACINO Francesco, 2011. "Happy for How Long? How Social Capital and GDP relate to Happiness over Time," LISER Working Paper Series 2011-60, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    11. Ingebjørg Kristoffersen, 2010. "The Metrics of Subjective Wellbeing: Cardinality, Neutrality and Additivity," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 86(272), pages 98-123, March.
    12. Adrian Chadi, 2019. "Dissatisfied with life or with being interviewed? Happiness and the motivation to participate in a survey," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 53(3), pages 519-553, October.
    13. Bucciol, Alessandro & Burro, Giovanni, 2022. "Is there a happiness premium for working in the public sector? Evidence from Italy," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    14. Terence C. Cheng & Nattavudh Powdthavee & Andrew J. Oswald, 2017. "Longitudinal Evidence for a Midlife Nadir in Human Well‐being: Results from Four Data Sets," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 127(599), pages 126-142, February.
    15. Ólafsdóttir, Thorhildur & Ásgeirsdóttir, Tinna Laufey & Norton, Edward C., 2020. "Valuing pain using the subjective well-being method," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    16. Edsel L. Beja, 2018. "The U-shaped relationship between happiness and age: evidence using world values survey data," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 52(4), pages 1817-1829, July.
    17. García-Muñoz, Teresa & Neuman, Shoshana & Neuman, Tzahi, 2014. "Health Risk Factors among the Older European Populations: Personal and Country Effects," IZA Discussion Papers 8529, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Christopher Ambrey & Christopher Fleming, 2014. "Public Greenspace and Life Satisfaction in Urban Australia," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(6), pages 1290-1321, May.
    19. Konow, James & Earley, Joseph, 2008. "The Hedonistic Paradox: Is homo economicus happier," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(1-2), pages 1-33, February.
    20. M. Hussain, 2014. "The Robustness of High Danish National Happiness: A Temporal Cross-Country Analysis of Population Subgroups," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 759-774, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:qualqt:v:57:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s11135-022-01471-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.