Social Capital

Social capital is a term that refers to the idea that relationships have specific value. People are able to acquire resources through their social network and [Page 710]use those resources to achieve their goals. Theoretical development of the concept of social capital is credited to both James Coleman and Pierre Bourdieu, but they differ in approaches. Coleman's interpretation of social capital places the value in the functional relationship within the network; it is the network itself, structured on relations of trust and obligations held, which is capital. Bourdieu, on the other hand, associates capital with the product emerging from those relationships. Resources are produced through time and activity in the relationship between particular individuals within the network. Ultimately, social capital enables people to gain resources ...