The Effects of a Groupʼs Network Structure on Social Capital Formation

Abstract

　The purpose of this study is to verify hypotheses regarding the effects of participation in isolated/connected groups that represent the closure/openness of networks based on the social capital theories of Coleman, Burt, and Putnam on the impact of a groupʼs network structure on Linʼs social capital formation. Data from Japanese General Social Survey 2012, a typical Japanese large-scale survey, were used to perform multivariate analyses (Heckit models, ZINB models). The first result reveals that those with participation in the more connected groups created the richer social capital (general social capital, extensity, upper reachability, and range). The second result shows that those with participation in the more isolated groups formed the larger number of occupations a respondent could access (i.e. extensity). These findings indicate the importance of multiple participation in connected groups (i.e. the openness of networks) for the formation of rich social capital.