Social Capital - Economic Perspective 2400-PL3SL061B
The seminar aims at helping students to choose the topics for, and prepare, their bachelor’s theses. In the winter semester students work in a group and familiarize themselves with the concept of social capital; its potential uses in the economic discourse, and how to apply it in the empirical analyses. During classes students discuss the following topics:
• Social capital – definition and origins
• Social capital and other capitals in economics
• How to measure social capital
• Social capital and education
• Social capital in the macroeconomic context
• Social capital from the perspective of a local community
• Social capital in a household
• The negative side of the social capital: corruption, nepotism, mafia
• Social capital and labor market
• Social capital and public goods
• Social capital and developing countries
• Social capital in organizations and firms
• Social capital and innovation
In the summer semester, students work individually with the supervisor on their theses. The reading list as well as classes are tailored to their interests and needs. Majority of the work is to be done by students themselves. This includes both looking for the literature, reading it and analyzing.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Tuition outcomes (4000 characters max)
1. Expertise and cognizance
Upon the seminar completion a student knows the concept of social capital. He/she has knowledge about various applications of social capital in the economic discourse and recognizes the pros and cons of different approaches to study social capital from the economic perspective. He/she has an orientation in both qualitative and quantitative methods that may be used to study social capital. A student knows the requirements that are demanded from the bachelor’s thesis.
2. Skills
Upon the seminar completion a student is able to analyze the relationships between various socio-economic factors while paying due attention to their complexity and multifaceted character. A student is able to design and plan his/her own research and knows pros and cons of various methodologies that he may apply. He/she is able to pose a research question and provide an answer to it. He/she is able to interpret the results of his/her work as well as the results from other studies and draw conclusions from them. A student is able to present the results of his work in front of his/her colleagues and take part in the discussion on the results presented by others. A student is able to prepare a bachelor’s thesis in accordance with appropriate requirements.
3. Other competences
Upon the seminar completion a student is able to cooperate with other colleagues. He/she is able to recognize the need of constant acquiring new knowledge and skills. A student understands ethical dilemmas connected with conducting social researches. He/she is able to find good ways to organize his work efficiently.
Assessment criteria and evaluation methods ( 4000 characters max)
In the winter semester, students are evaluated based on their work during classes. The latter comprise presenting their views on the analyses they get acquainted with as well as presenting the ideas for their theses. In order to obtain a credit, students have to present the chosen topic of their theses till the end of winter semester.
In the summer semester, students are evaluated based on the progress in their theses. In order to obtain a credit, students have to submit their theses till the end of summer semester.
KW01, KW02, KW03, KU01, KU02, KW03, KK01, KK02, KK03
Assessment criteria
In the winter semester, students are evaluated based on their work during classes. The latter comprise presenting their views on the analyses they get acquainted with as well as presenting the ideas for their theses. In order to obtain a credit, students have to present the chosen topic of their theses till the end of winter semester.
In the summer semester, students are evaluated based on the progress in their theses. In order to obtain a credit, students have to submit their theses till the end of summer semester.
Bibliography
1. Bourdieu Pierre (1986), The forms of capital, w: Handbook of Theory of Research for the Sociology of Education, red. J.G. Richardson, Greenwood Press, New York.
2. Burt Ronald S. (2005), Brokerage and Closure : An Introduction to Social Capital; New York: Oxford University Press, Oxford.
3. Coleman James S. (1990), Foundations of Social Theory, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
4. Czapiński Janusz (2008), Kapitał ludzki i kapitał społeczny a dobrobyt materialny. Polski paradoks, Zarządzanie Publiczne, nr 2(4): 5-28.
5. Foundations of Social Capital, red. Elinor Ostrom, T.K. Ahn, Edward Elgar Publishing, Chaltenham, UK and Northampton, MA.
6. Fukuyama Francis (2000), Social Capital and Civil Society, International Monetary Fund Working Paper.
7. Grootaert Christiaan, Thierry van Bastelaer (2002), The Role of Social Capital In Development: An Empirical Assessment, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
8. Kapitał społeczny: aspekty teoretyczne i praktyczne, red. naukowy Henryk Januszek, Wydawnictwo Akademii Ekonomicznej w Poznaniu.
9. Kostro Krzysztof (2006), Aktualny stan badań nad kapitałem społecznym w Polsce, Studia Ekonomiczne, nr 1-2: 59-85
10. Lin Nan (2001), A Theory of Social Structure and Action, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
11. Łopaciuk-Gonczaryk Beata (2009), Więzi społeczne, zaufanie i kapitał społeczny, w: Więzi społeczne i przemiany gospodarcze. Polska i inne kraje europejskie, red. Golinowska Stanisława, Wilkin Jerzy, Bednarski Marek, Sztanderska Urszula, Socha Mieczysław, Balcerzak-Paradowska Bożena, Instytut Pracy i Spraw Socjalnych, Warszawa, s. 33-49.
12. Putnam Robert D. (2000), Bowling alone: The Collapse and the Revival of American Community, Simon & Schuster, New York.
Other books/articles will be tailored to the interests and needs of students and provided later.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: