ABSTRACT
The per spect ive of a sys tem focuses on how relationships are in teg rated and de pend ent on each other, not being seen only as ag greg ated indi vidual beha viour. So how can social capital be understood in accordance with this view? I will point to the networks as the most im port ant analytic units, since the informal constrains and sanc tions would not appear outside a system-like con text as norms are per se a col lect ive phenomenon. Nevertheless, social capital can be discussed as an indi vidual resource, putting the focus on its problem-solving capa city to maximize indi vidual utility (Loury, 1977). Granovetter (2005) highlights this capa city in a sim ilar way when he states that social structures, especially in form of social networks, affect eco nomic outcomes, since they affect the flow and quality of in forma tion. The social network might also serve as an im port ant hub, sup porting the pro cess of social control, in terms of reward and pun ishment according to the existing norms. Also, social networks may provide bases for creating trust. Individuals, according to Granovetter (2005), will, within a network, feel more confident in the belief that others will “do the right thing”. So, the bearing structure of social capital is identified in the networks. Lin (2001) also highlights the social networks in order to define the bases of the concept social capital. He stresses that it is not the social capital which acts solely or inclusively, it is the social networks that underpin these pro cesses. Coleman’s (1990) per spect ive of social capital also sup ports this view and the greatest ad vant age of his definition of social capital is how he emphas izes its potential to take on different forms. And above all, it is seen as a resource that allows an outcome im pos sible to reach without this resource. In Coleman’s (1990: 302) words:
Social capital is defined by its function. It is not a single entity but a variety of different entities, with two elements in common: they all consist of some aspect of social structures, and they facilitate certain actions of actors – whether persons or corporate actors – within the structure.
