Bonding, bridging and linking social capital

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Bonding, bridging and linking social capital

• Elizabeth Gyorfi-Dyke
• November 20, 2007
• EPI 6181

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Definitions

• Bonding social capital close relationships
  between similar people social ties in your
  immediate life such as family, friends within
  the group structure the informal realm
• Bridging social capital establishing
  relationships of respect and mutuality between
  people who are not personally close, but who are
  at similar hierarchical levels these help people
  get ahead the civic realm, connections with
  different groups or communities
• Linking social capital newer term like bridging
  but these relationships are with people across
  different hierarchical levels and power (vertical
  ties) the institutional realm helps people gain
  resources to bring about broader change.
• Kim, Subramanian, Kawachi (2006) Altschuler,
  Somkin, Adler (2004) Harpham, Grant and Thomas,
  2002

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Why this Matters to Health

• Bridging and bonding social capital may result in
  health benefits through mechanisms such as faster
  diffusion of knowledge about health related
  innovations, maintenance of healthy norms (Kim
  et. al. 2006)
• Bridging potential for empowerment and
  development projects (Harpham, 2002, p. 109)

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Some research findings

• Kim, Subramanian, Kawachi surveys of 24,835
  people in 40 communities community bonding
  social capital and community bridging social
  capital were associated with 14 and 5 lower
  odds of self-reported fair or poor health
  respectively (p. 119)
• Altschuler, Somkin, and Adler qualitative
  research (interviews and focus groups) bonding
  social capital tends to be the same across
  different SES neighbourhoods, while bridging
  social capital seems to be in greater amounts in
  higher SES neighbourhoods (so, for example, more
  ability to mobilize to improve the neighbourhood
  in higher SES)

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Measurement

• Quantitative and qualitative
• Quantitative
• Participation in formal community organizations,
  volunteer activities, political activities
  (bonding organizations didnt share same
  sociodemographics such as sex/race/ethnicity/educa
  tion as respondent bridging share same
  sociodemographic characteristics as respondent)
  (Mitchell and LaGory, 2002)
• Also diversity of friendships number of times
  one was invited over to someones house who was
  of a different ethnicity or race (Kim et. al.,
  2006)

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Measurement contd

• Challenge (with social capital generally as
  well) individual or aggregate group
  characteristics? (Altschuler et. al)
• Some aim to measure community characteristics
  that are not aggregates (Harpham, 2002, p. 110)
• Qualitative methods (observation) (Lochner et.
  al., 1999)
• Mediators individual vs. community social
  capital for example

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References

• Szreter S, Woolcock M. Health by association?
  Social capital, social theory, adn the political
  economy of public health. Int J Epidemiol 2004
  33(4)650-667
• Altschuler A, Smokin CP, Adler NE. Local services
  and amenities, neighborhood social capital, and
  health. Soc Sci Med 2004 59 1219-1229.
• Blakely T, Ivory V. Commentary bonding,
  bridging, linking but still not much going on.
  Int J Epidemiol 2006 35(3) 614-615.
• Kim D, Subramanian SVB, Kawachi I. Bonding
  versus bridging social capital and their
  associations with self-rated health a multilevel
  analysis of 40 US communities. J. Epidemiol.
  Community Health 2006 60(2) 116-122.
• Harpham T, Grant E, Thomas E. Measuring social
  capital within health surveys key issues. Health
  Policy Planning 2002 17 106-111.
• Mitchell CU, LaGoryM. Social capital and mental
  distress in an impoverished community. City
  Community 2002 1 195-215.