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An Examination of Putnam, Coleman, and Bourdieu's Conceptualizations of Social Capital and the Structural Differences across Class, Race, and Gender Groups

Grossman, Elizabeth R. B.

Abstract Details

2013, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, Sociology.
This dissertation explores the form and function of social capital, both theoretically and empirically, to understand how it operates within the context of socio-demographic groups based on race, gender and class. Specifically, this study (1) examines major theories of social capital to identify points of comparison and contrast; (2) operationalizes social capital in ways that are theoretically consistent with each approach; and (3) examines each theoretically structured empirical model to determine the extent to which it captures the meaningful experience of social capital across race, gender, and class. The study uses data from the 2000 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey to create and examine three distinct models of social capital drawn from the theories of Robert Putnam, James Coleman, and Pierre Bourdieu. Confirmatory factor analysis is used to test how well the theoretical models fit the data and multi-sample structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test hypotheses regarding significant differences in the structure of social capital across race, gender, and class groups. Structural differences in social capital were found for all three socio-demographic groups. However, the findings were not consistent across models. For example, although differences by race were found across all three social capital models, class and gender did not generate similar results. Theoretical and empirical implications for future work on social capital are discussed.
Rebecca Erickson, Dr. (Advisor)
Cheryl Elman, Dr. (Committee Member)
Clare Stacey, Dr. (Committee Member)
Xi Juan, Dr. (Committee Member)
Kaltenthaler Karl, Dr. (Committee Member)
229 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Grossman, E. R. B. (2013). An Examination of Putnam, Coleman, and Bourdieu's Conceptualizations of Social Capital and the Structural Differences across Class, Race, and Gender Groups [Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1386677646

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Grossman, Elizabeth. An Examination of Putnam, Coleman, and Bourdieu's Conceptualizations of Social Capital and the Structural Differences across Class, Race, and Gender Groups. 2013. University of Akron, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1386677646.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Grossman, Elizabeth. "An Examination of Putnam, Coleman, and Bourdieu's Conceptualizations of Social Capital and the Structural Differences across Class, Race, and Gender Groups." Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1386677646

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)