ABSTRACT
Social capital often varies by the nature and conditions of one's work and by the surrounding social circles that are not necessarily related to work. Although previous studies examined these two forces separately, experiences in East Asia call for an alternative approach that takes into account how work and nonwork realms intertwine in the making of social capital. As work has become a well-defined realm in everyday life, it helps enrich one's social capital in addition to providing a livelihood. Even among those who spend most of their time working, however, interpersonal contacts in general and contacts that are not related to work still help establish a significant part of social capital.
