The sociological concept of social capital has grown in popularity in recent years and research programs in North America, Europe, and East Asia have demonstrated how social capital has a significant impact on occupational mobility, community building, social movement, and economic development.
This book uses new empirical data to test how social capital works in different societies with diverse political-economic and cultural institutions. Taking a comparative approach, this study focuses on data from three different societies, China, Taiwan, and the United States, in order to reveal the international commonalities and disparities in access to, and activation of, social capital in labor markets. In particular, this book tests whether political economic and cultural differences between capitalist and socialist economic systems and between Western and Confucian cultures create different types of individual social networks and usages. This comparison leads to Joonmo Son's fundamental argument that the institutional constraints of a society's political economy on the one hand, and culture on the other, profoundly impact on both the composition and utilization of social capital.
Based on rigorous statistical analysis, this book will be essential reading for students and scholars of social capital, economic sociology, and comparative politics.
"Son's book is a significant addition to the growing literature on social capital, institutions, and status attainment. Its unique institutional comparative perspective greatly advances our understanding of how political economy or culture shape people's access to and activation of social capital for status attainment in three important labour markets with varying institutional constraints. The book is well organized and well written, suitable for upper division undergraduate and graduate students. It will be a must-read for scholars on China, Taiwan, and the US as well as social scientists interested in social capital, institutions, and social inequalities."
- Wenhong Chen, University of Texas at Austin
Asian Journal of Social Science 41, 2013.
"Son's comparative study of social capital and institutional constraints is a solid contribution to our understanding of social capital and status attainment...this monograph is of great value to stratification specialists as well as to the broader sociological community."
-Mito Akiyoshi, Senshu University
Social Forces (Oxford University Press Journal) vol 94, no 2, December 2013
