Is Social Capital a Buffer during Economic Hard Times? Evidence from International Survey Data

• In Event: 343 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 05. Social Capital, Social Support, and Health

Abstract

Social capital is positively associated with a number of health outcomes. It has been theorized that social capital serves as a “buffer” during economic hard times as individuals can leverage their social capital to avoid the health effects of recessions or other negative economic experiences like a job loss. In this manuscript, we formally test this theory using international survey data from 35 countries and multi-level modelling. We find no evidence for the “buffer” theorization of social capital.

Authors

• Adam Mayer, Colorado State University

• E. Keith Smith, Colorado State University