Where the ends don’t meet: Social capital effects on economic hardships

摘要: In this paper, we demonstrate how spatial variation in social capital (eg, civic associations) strengthens family support networks which, in turn, enhance their ability to avoid economic hardships (eg the inability to pay rent, hunger). We find widespread economic hardship, with nearly one in three families having experienced at least one of eight hardships. Families experience more hardship when support networks (kin, friends, charities) are weaker. Multilevel models show that metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas with higher levels of social capital provide stronger support networks to families who, therefore, suffer less economic hardship. The type of social capital also makes a difference: civic social capital (eg, civic associations, labor unions, religious organizations) is associated with more social support and less hardship, but elite social capital (eg, business associations) is associated with more hardships.