The quality and quantity of resources that an actor can invest in, access, or mobilize.  This view emphasizes resources embedded in social relations, or resources one can access as a consequence of the relations that have to other actors within their network

Social Resources

Location of an actor within a network and the characteristics of that network that affects their access to social resources. 

Network Location

Social Capital, according to Nan Lin, is the investment and mobilization of resources
resources within one's network, and is divided into two major dimensions:

- Social Resources
- Network Location

Augustana College (IL)

Nan Lin is a proponent of neo-capital theories, which sees capital accumulation through the lens of an actor-based perspective rather than a class-based perspective.  As such, he posits that investment and mobilization of capital are mechanisms that can be used by individuals and communities in order to achieve beneficial outcomes.  He couples this view with an analysis of how inequality in the distribution of Social Capital affects socioeconomic inequality.  The proposition being that accumulation of Social Capital leads to better material outcomes (i.e., higher earnings, better employment, better mental health) and that inequality in Social Capital leads to inequality in these material outcomes.

Inequalities in Social Capital

Nan Lin's Categories of Social Capital

There are two components to inequality in capital: the Structural explanation and homophily. Historical and institutional makeup of societies provide unequal opportunities to different groups along the lines of race, class, gender, caste, etc. 

Secondly, there is a homophilic tendency of most individuals to live and associate with people who share common social and cultural characteristics, and so remain within closed network systems.  Certain degrees of awareness within these groups can motivate communities to create cross-group networks which leads to better access to resources, but homophily generally restrains the ability of actors to access other groups.


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