Abstract

Social research consistently identifies education as a key driver of social capital, providing skills, experiences and values facilitating social interaction. This theory cannot explain, however, why indicators of social capital (such as social trust) have not increased despite the massification of higher education in Europe and America. Efforts to explain this paradox have suggested the sorting effects of education may be more important for understanding how it is related to social capital. Empirical applications of this theory have produced mixed results, however, and the literature is dominated by a US focus and methodological disputes that make determining generalizability beyond the US difficult. This research attempts to reconcile some of the methodological disputes and examines the sorting effect of education on social capital in the UK. It finds no evidence of educational sorting for behavioral indicators of social capital, but strong evidence for social trust.

摘要

社会研究一致认为教育是社会资本的关键驱动力，提供促进社会互动的技能、经验和价值观。然而，这一理论无法解释为什么欧美高等教育大众化后，社会资本指标（如社会信任）却没有增加。解释这一悖论的努力表明，教育的排序效应对于理解教育与社会资本的关系可能更为重要。然而，这一理论的实证应用产生了好坏参半的结果，而且文献主要以美国为中心，而方法论上的争议使得确定美国以外的普遍适用性变得困难。本研究试图调和一些方法论争议，并探讨教育对英国社会资本的排序效应。