Social Capital in

the Creation of
Human Capital
By James S. Coleman (1988)

Prepared by Eyad Alfattal

CSUSB / Ed.D. / Cohort 8

Preview
Contrasting & Criticizing Social and Economic Theories
Combining the Social and the Economic Intellectual
Streams
What Are Social and Human Capitals?
Forms of Social Capital
Social Structures that Facilitate Social Capital
Social Capital, the Family, the Community, and High School
Drop Outs

Criticism of Social Theories

[] the actor has
no engine of
action. The actor is
shaped by the
environment, but
there are no
internal springs of
action that give the
actor a purpose or
direction
(Colman, 1988, p.
96).

Criticism of Economic Theories

This stream flies in
the face of empirical
reality as if
individual actions
and economic
capacities are never
shaped and
controlled by norms,
social networks, and
social institutions
(Colman, 1988).

Colman (1988) combines

the social and the
economic intellectual
streams. If we begin

with a theory of
rational action, in
which each actor has
control over certain
resources and interests
in certain resources
and events, then social
capital constitutes a
particular kind of
resource available to
an actor (p. 98).

Social Capital
Social capital is
productive,
making possible
the achievement
of certain ends
that in its absence
would not be
possible
(Colman, 1988, p.
98).

Certain
Actions
Certain
Social
Structures

Examples of Social Capital: Jewelry

Wholesale & Kahn El Khalili

What Are Social and Human Capitals?

Human Capital & Social Capital

Human capital is created by changes in persons that bring
about skills and capabilities that make them able to act in new
ways while human capital comes about through changes in
the relations among persons that facilitate action (Colman,
1988, p. 100).

Knowledge Skills Equipment

Relations
capitals

human, physical, and social

Forms of Social Capital Are Defined

by Function
Obligations, Expectations, and Trustworthiness:
People are always doing things for one another and
individuals in social structures with high levels of
obligations outstanding at any time have more social
capital on which they can draw (Colman, 1988, p. 102).

Possible Outstanding Slips!

Forms of Social Capital Are Defined

by Function
Information Channels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTvbf1WVYFE

Forms of Social Capital Are Defined

by Function
Norms and Effective
Sanctions
Effective norms in an area can
reduce innovativeness in an
area, not only deviant actions
that harm others but also
deviant actions that can benefit
everyone (Colman, 1988, p.
105).

Social Structures that Facilitate Social

Capital: Closure & Intergenerational Closure

Closure of
Social
Structure

Effective
Norms

Trustworthines
s

Obligations &
Expectations

Social Structures that Facilitate Social

Capital: Appropriable Social Organization

Social Capital in the Creation of Human

Capital
Social Capital in the Family
Family background is analytically
separable into at least three different
components: financial capital, human
capital, and social capital (Colman,
1988, p. 109).
Social capital within the family that
gives the child access to the adult's
human capital depends both on the
physical presence of adults in the
family and on the attention given by
the adults to the child (Colman, 1988,
p. 111).

Social Capital in the Creation of Human

Capital
Social Capital in the Family:
Adult Attention Matters
Based on High School and Beyond
data, Test scores decline with
sibling position

number of children in the family

single-parent situation

Social Capital in the Creation of Human

Capital
Social Capital in the Community
It is transferred through
intergenerational closure.
11.8% dropout rate if the
family has not moved
16.7% if it has moved once,
and
23.1% if it has moved twice.

Social Capital in the Creation of Human

Capital
Social Capital in the Community
It is transferred through
intergenerational closure.
14.4% drop out rate in public
schools,
3.4% in Catholic private schools,
3.7% in other religious private
schools, and
11.9% in other private schools.

Public Goods Aspect of Social Capital

The public goods quality of
most social capital means that it
is in a fundamentally different
position with respect to
purposive action than are most
other forms of capital (Colman,
1988, p. 118). This is so because
social capital benefits the social
structure directly and the
individual who enforces the
norms and sanctions indirectly.

Criticism of Colmans Concept of

Social Capital
Actors establish relations
purposefully and continue them when
they continue to provide benefits
(Colman, 1988, p. 105). What about
acts of love and irrational action?
Is social capital, defined as family
and surrounding community
relationship and communication, still
as important with the advent of
technology? What is it going to be
like in the future? Will social
networking media be the most
important source of social capital?

Thanks for Being the Best Audience Ever!