1 Social Capital and Organizational Embeddedness

Abstract

AbstractStandard models of social capital have said little about how actors form the ties that generate social capital. This chapter proposes a model based on three assumptions: Actors may form ties either purposely or non‐purposely; forming either purposely or non‐purposely depends on the context of social interaction; and the context of interaction can be shaped significantly by routine organizations. The model theorizes how organizations can affect not only the formation of ties but also the trust they exhibit, the obligations they carry, and the resources they exchange. The model discusses not merely social but also organizational ties. The chapter concludes by explaining why childcare centers are an especially strategic site to explore this model, and identifying the book’s four major data sources: a national survey of mothers of young children, a survey of childcare centers in New York City, an in‐depth interview study of about 65 mothers in New York, and in‐depth case studies of 23 centers in the city.