You’ve probably heard that a college education provides a road to a bright future–challenging careers and financial wealth. That’s what the American education system has promised us for years upon years. . . . “The average American with a college diploma still earns about 75% more than a worker with a high-school diploma and is [...]

How does Social Capital work in stressed communities? That’s a question that researchers asked in two contexts: 1) after Hurricane Andrew and 2) within an economically disadvantaged community. Formal support–support offered by official agencies, governments, etc. Informal support–support from core network (family and closest friends) A friend of mine, who grew up in Appalachia, describes [...]

This weekend, I drove between Chicago and St. Louis. At one point, one of my passengers asked me how far it was to a specific exit. I replied by saying, “It’s at mile marker 22.” Then, a few minutes later, I said, “you know, it might be mile marker 18.” When we reached the exit, [...]

It’s nice to say that “your network is your net worth.” If social capital really does connect to monetary capital, then you should have opportunities to perform a balance transfer between the two. Two researchers, Roberto Fernandez and Emilio Castilla, focused on this question and studied the value of referral bonuses in the workplace. They [...]