Network-based approaches for measuring social capital

Abstract

A variety of disciplines, ranging from sociology to public health, have struggled with the conceptualization and measurement of social capital. Differences in the approach used to measure social capital may contribute to variations in the observed relationships between social capital and individual and population health across studies. As well, the heavy reliance on communitarian measures of social capital in public health may truncate the field's understanding of the relationship between social capital and health (Moore, Shiell, Hawe, & Haines, 2005). © 2008 Springer New York.