Leading scholars in the field of social networks from diverse disciplines present the first systematic and comprehensive collection of current theories and empirical research on the informal connections that individuals have for support, help, and information from other people

Part I. Social Capital: Networks and Embedded Resources 1 Building a Network Theory of Social Capital 2 Structural Holes versus Network Closure as Social Capital 3 The Position Generator: Measurement Techniques for Investigations of Social Capital Part II. Social Capital in the Labor Market 4 How Much Is That Network Worth? Social Capital in Employee Referral Networks 5 Interpersonal Ties, Social Capital, and Employer Staffing Practices 6 Good Networks and Good Jobs: The Value of Social Capital to Employers and Employees 7 Getting Started: The Influence of Social Capital on the Start of the Occupational Career Part III: Social Capital in Organizational, Community, and Institutional Settings 8 Social Capital as Social Mechanisms and Collective Assets: The Example of Status Auctions among Colleagues 9 Social Networks and Social Capital in Extreme Environments 10 Network Capital in a Multilevel World: Getting Support from Personal Communities 11 Guanxi Capital and Social Eating in Chinese Cities: Theoretical Models and Empirical Analyses 12 Change and Stability in Social Network Resources: The Case of Hungary under Transformation