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September 25, 1998 10:31 Annual Reviews AR064-00 SO24-FrontisP

Annu. Rev. Sociol. 1998. 24:1–24
Copyright © 1998 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved
SOCIAL CAPITAL: Its Origins and
Applications in Modern Sociology
Alejandro Portes
Department of Sociology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
KEY WORDS: social control, family support, networks, sociability
ABSTRACT
This paper reviews the origins and definitions of social capital in the writings
of Bourdieu, Loury, and Coleman, among other authors. It distinguishes four
sources of social capital and examines their dynamics. Applications of the
concept in the sociological literature emphasize its role in social control, in
family support, and in benefits mediated by extrafamilial networks. I provide
examples of each of these positive functions. Negative consequences of the
same processes also deserve attention for a balanced picture of the forces at
play. I review four such consequences and illustrate them with relevant ex-
amples. Recent writings on social capital have extended the concept from an
individual asset to a feature of communities and even nations. The final sec-
tions describe this conceptual stretch and examine its limitations. I argue
that, as shorthand for the positive consequences of sociability, social capital
has a definite place in sociological theory. However, excessive extensions of
the concept may jeopardize its heuristic value.
Alejandro Portes: Biographical Sketch
Alejandro Portes is professor of sociology at Princeton University and
faculty associate of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs. He for-
merly taught at Johns Hopkins where he held the John Dewey Chair in Arts
and Sciences, Duke University, and the University of Texas-Austin. In 1997
he held the Emilio Bacardi distinguished professorship at the University of
Miami. In the same year he was elected president of the American Sociologi-
cal Association. Born in Havana, Cuba, he came to the United States in 1960.
He was educated at the University of Havana, Catholic University of Argen-
tina, and Creighton University. He received his MA and PhD from the Uni-
versity of Wisconsin-Madison.
0360-0572/98/0815-0001$08.00
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