Friends and fortunes : social capital inequality in America / Benjamin Cornwell,Cornell University, Cristobal Young, Cornell University, Barum Park, Cornell University, Nan Feng, New York University.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cornwell, Benjamin, Author.

Young, Cristobal, author.

Park, Barum, author.

Feng, Nan (Writer on sociology), author.

Series:

Structural analysis in the social sciences.

Structural analysis in the social sciences

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social networks.

Equality.

Social capital (Sociology).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxvi, 345 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press, 2026.

Summary:

Durable social connections are priceless resources for support, companionship, and opportunity. They make life worth living. However, not everyone has equal access to these seemingly free social resources. Like many other valuable things in life, 'social capital' is both a source and a consequence of inequality throughout the population - something that reinforces the status quo and existing social hierarchies. In Friends and Fortunes, the authors painstakingly document that the distribution of social connections in American society is as stark as income inequality. Through detailed analyses and colorful real-life illustrations, they reveal how rich elites hoard both the most prized and the most deceptively frivolous social ties. Drawing on over one hundred measures of social capital from dozens of datasets and over one million people, they explain how social networks create a remarkable and omnipresent web of connections that subtly feed hidden systems of power, prestige, wealth and, ultimately, life chances.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 12 Jun 2026).

ISBN:

1-009-48326-9

9781009483285

9781009483292