Lecture 8: social capital and status attainment Flashcards
Status attainment
a process by which individuals mobilize and invest resources for returns in socio-economic standing (values resources attached to occupied positions)
- personal resources: what an individu uses without much concern for compensation
- social resources: assessable through one’s direct and indirect ties
2 types of status (blau & duncan)
- Ascribed status: a type of status that is assigned, for
example by tradition, inheritance, customs (for example parents education and occupational status, nobility) - Achieved status: a status that is earned by the person itself, a personal achievement through one’s own capabilities
results article status attainment model (blau & duncan)
if fathers education and job is high, the kids education and job will also be higher
- education dad has least effect: own education the most important factor for attained status
bourdieu’s reproduction theory
Social reproduction: involves the transmission of inequality (and its associated advantages and disadvantages in capital) across generations
- Different types of capital: cultural capital, financial capital, human capital, social capital
- not only class, but also resources coming from social networks
- Emphasizes that ruling and intellectual classes do maintain unequal power structures
piketty’s idea
people that have capital/wealth will benefit, more and thus the gap between haves and have nots widens
gini coefficient
- ranging from 0 (= perfect equility) to 1 (=perfect inequality) so the lower the better
- measures income or wealth inequality among a population
3 properties in the theory of social capital
- Social resources: social resources exert effect on the outcome of an instrumental action (e.g. attained status)
- Strength of position: social resources are affected by the original position of ego (e.g. parents or previous resources of ego)
- Strength of ties: social resources are also affected by the use of weaker rather than strong ties
procceses of the relationships between social capital and status attainment
- acces (how to devoy social capital which affects status attainment)
- use of social contacts and resources (mobilization)
difference bodning and bridging
Bonding social capital is within a group or community - strong ties - people who are alike - thick trust Bridging social capital is between social groups; social class, race, religion or other important sociodemographic or socioeconomic characteristics - weaker ties - people who are different - thin trust
results article on finding jobs (granovetter)
- many employees find jobs through weaker contacts (diffusion across network, only seeing these people occasionally or rarely, so weak ties)
- doesn’t necessary find higher wages
- weak ties aren’t better than strong ties