Overview of Survey Methods for Measuring Social Capital Micha - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Overview of Survey Methods for Measuring Social Capital Michał Bojanowski ICM UW POLPAN Seminar January 8, 2013

Introduction This talk: is not a complete discussion of Social Capital (SC), focuses on tools related to social resources theory: works of and inspired by Henk Flap, Nan Lin, Tom Snijders, and Martin van der Gaag. focuses on topics relevant in social stratification research, is a rather pragmatic discussion of SC and its measurement in the context of POLPAN

Outline Social capital 1 Individual social capital Survey instruments 2 Name generator Position generator Resource generator Other methods and instruments Data analysis 3 Comparison 4 POLPAN 5

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Outline Social capital 1 Individual social capital Survey instruments 2 Name generator Position generator Resource generator Other methods and instruments Data analysis 3 Comparison 4 POLPAN 5

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Social capital Social capital is (too) many things. In general: Other people as some sort of social resource(s) beneficial to individual goal attainment . Social capital is defined on different levels Collective/group level (Coleman, Putnam): SC is produced and owned collectively. Individual level (Lin, Flap): SC additional resources available to individual.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Social capital on group level Certain forms of social capital can be produced collectively: Social cohesion Trust Norms Solidarity? Example (Coleman): Trust among diamond traders in NYC.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Individual social capital Individual social capital There are various definitions of the individual level SC: Social resources characterized on three dimensions (Flap, 2002): Number of alters in personal social network 1 Resources the alters give access to 2 Availability of resources to ego (e.g. willingness) 3 “Resources embedded in a social structure that are accessed and/or mobilized for purposive actions” (Lin, 2001) The collection of resources owned by the members of an individual’s personal social network, which may become available to the individual as a result of the history of these relationships (Snijders & van der Gaag, 2003) Even if SC is defined on individual level, it is strongly linked to macro level: what are the actual patterns of social relations and where are the resources located?

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Individual social capital Problems What goals? Social capital is goal-specific. Which resources? Where are those resources? Even if SC is defined on individual level, it is strongly linked to macro level: what are the actual patterns of social relations and where are the resources located? The role of network structure. Access or use? Should we focus on access to resources or on use of resources.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Individual social capital Access or use? Should we focus on access to resources or on use of resources. Access Simple and easy Use. Complex because involves mobilization of resources depends on individual specific needs depends on other forms of social capital depends on individual skills to mobilize interdependence: norms, ethics, trust, etc.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Individual social capital Social networks and social capital Social capital captures certain aspects of position in social network. Social networks: nodes, ties, node attributes, tie attributes Network aspects of social capital: volume/extensity more contacts is better (is it?) diversity diversity of resource collections, diversity of ties (weak ties, structural holes) specific resources e.g. somebody with computer skills, somebody with high prestige job structure betweeness, closeness, etc.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Outline Social capital 1 Individual social capital Survey instruments 2 Name generator Position generator Resource generator Other methods and instruments Data analysis 3 Comparison 4 POLPAN 5

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Survey instruments I will discuss three main survey instruments for measuring SC: Name generator and interpreter (McCallister & Fisher 1978) Position generator (Lin & Dumin, 1986) Resource generator (Snijders, 1999)

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Name generator Name generator Extensive study of personal social networks. Components of the name generator: Name-generating questions Acquire a list of alters to whom ego has ties. Name-interpreting questions Acquire information about attributes of alters. Relation-interpreting questions Acquire information about relations of ego to alters. Relations between alters Acquire information whether there are ties among the alters.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Name generator Name-generating questions Example questions: Do you know anyone who. . . helped you get your current job gives advice on problems at work you work together with often is talk about important matters keeps a spare key to your house If “yes”, interviewer records names of the people (full names, initials, or first names).

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Name generator Name-interpreting questions Questions about attributes of every listed contact, for example: gender age education work status job description

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Name generator Interpreting relations For every listed person, questions about that relation: closeness intensity meeting frequency origin: where did you meet that person trust liking geographic proximity do you expected the relation to continue in 5 years

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Name generator Relations between alters Questions about relations between alters. For every pair of alters respondent indicates whether these two persons avoided each other did not know each other knew each other a bit knew each other very well knew each other very well and get along very well

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Position generator Position generator Developed by Lin & Dumin (1986). Measuring access through network members to certain occupations. Occupations represent bundles of social resources based on job prestige. Components of the instrument: List of occupations (e.g. 30) representative for a society well spread along the prestige scale Question 1: “Do you know anyone in each of these occupations?” Question 2: Identify person as a friend, acquaintance, family, neighbor, etc.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Resource generator Resource generator Proposed by Snijders (1999) Measuring access to specific social resources. Fixed list of specific social resources covering several domains of life. Components of resource generator List of resource items (e.g. 30) Question 1: “Do you know anyone giving access to each of the items” Question 2: Identify person as a friend, acquaintance, family, neighbor, etc.

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Resource generator How to compose a list of social resources? Composition of list of resources depends on the purpose of the study. negative social resources (social liabilities)? material vs non-material resources instrumental vs expressive resources How to compose a list if we want to measure “general” social capital? Groups of resources based on various classifications

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Resource generator Classifications Usually referring to general typologies of goals. Social Production Functions (Becker, Lindenberg) physical well-being social approval Domains within goal attainment. wealth power status Social support literature information emotional support/companionship, discussing intimate matters practical instrumental support Mechanisms via which transactions with SC are accomplished flow of resources helping of alters credentials trust, love, attention

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Other methods and instruments Other methods and instruments Other methods not directly related to SC network upscale methods link tracing respondent-driven sampling . . .

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Outline Social capital 1 Individual social capital Survey instruments 2 Name generator Position generator Resource generator Other methods and instruments Data analysis 3 Comparison 4 POLPAN 5

Social capital Survey instruments Data analysis Comparison POLPAN Data analysis How data collected using discussed instruments can be analyzed? Constructing scales of social capital. Two types of measures deductive theory-driven, scales are constructed based on item groups delineated a priori inductive data-driven, scales are constructed based on item groups suggested by data