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Approaches to the measurement of individual social capital in general social surveys

In: Handbook on Inequality and Social Capital

Author

Listed:
  • Christof Wolf
  • Marlène Sapin
  • Dominique Joye

Abstract

Three main approaches dominate the field of measuring individual social capital: the name generator, excelling in measuring strong ties; the resource generator, focusing on capturing social support; the position generator, reflecting social capital embedded in social hierarchies. Each of these measures has its unique scientific merit making it tempting to use all of them in the same study. Because these measurement instruments typically consist of a multitude of items this often will not be an option. Therefore it is of great importance to understand the core concepts behind these measurement approaches, their different variants and their strengths and weaknesses. While aiming at the greatest possible precision of measurement survey practitioners, nonetheless, face severe limitations, in particular concerning length and mode of the planned survey. Based on our experience of having implemented social capital measures in multiple surveys, we discuss different measures that balance difficulty and performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Christof Wolf & Marlène Sapin & Dominique Joye, 2024. "Approaches to the measurement of individual social capital in general social surveys," Chapters, in: Steve McDonald & Rochelle Côté & Jing Shen (ed.), Handbook on Inequality and Social Capital, chapter 5, pages 51-67, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    • Handle: RePEc:elg:eechap:21002_5
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    File URL: https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781802202373.00012
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