Social Capital and Networks
Social Capital and Networks is a research topic within Sociology and Political Science. Science Explorer counts 14k research works in it since 1950. 38.6% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers explores the concept of social capital, trust, and community networks, examining their implications for civic engagement, inequality, diversity, and economic development. It delves into the role of social capital in fostering social cohesion and building civil society, with a focus on the impact of trust on various aspects of community life.
- Social Capital
- Trust
- Community
- Networks
- Civic Engagement
- Inequality
- Diversity
- Civil Society
- Economic Development
- Social Cohesion
- Research works
- 14k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 5.4k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 38.6% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- -5% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Social Capital and Networks research?
By volume, the United States and China publish the most (421 and 318 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 421 works
- 2 China 318 works
- 3 United Kingdom 124 works
- 4 Germany 121 works
- 5 Italy 77 works
- 6 Indonesia 57 works
- 7 Netherlands 53 works
- 8 Canada 52 works
- 9 Spain 51 works
- 10 Australia 51 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead Social Capital and Networks research?
By volume in 2022–2025, Renmin University of China publishes the most Social Capital and Networks research, followed by Sapienza University of Rome and Fudan University.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 Renmin University of China China 10 works
- 2 Sapienza University of Rome Italy 9 works
- 3 Fudan University China 9 works
- 4 Peking University China 8 works
- 5 Duke University United States 8 works
- 6 Michigan State University United States 8 works
- 7 National Research University Higher School of Economics Russia 8 works
- 8 Stanford University United States 8 works
- 9 University of Chicago United States 8 works
- 10 Chongqing University China 7 works
Who are the leading researchers in Social Capital and Networks?
The most-cited researchers publishing on Social Capital and Networks include Ronald S. Burt, Paul DiMaggio and Robert D. Putnam.
- 1 Ronald S. Burt 5.2k citations
- 2 Paul DiMaggio 3.2k citations
- 3 Robert D. Putnam 2.9k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is Social Capital and Networks research done?
The largest centres of Social Capital and Networks research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Shanghai (China), Moscow (Russia) and London (United Kingdom).
Where is the best place to study Social Capital and Networks?
Among universities, judged by research, Renmin University of China, Peking University and Michigan State University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renmin University of China China | 71.4 | 44.6% | 14.6× | 10 | -53.3% |
| 2 | Peking University China | 47.9 | 47.9% | 2.6× | 8 | -18.5% |
| 3 | Michigan State University United States | 43.0 | 32.3% | 5.4× | 8 | +17.8% |
| 4 | Fudan University China | 42.4 | 48.4% | 3.6× | 8 | -18.9% |
| 5 | Duke University United States | 38.0 | 29.5% | 5.6× | 8 | +12.6% |
| 6 | Sapienza University of Rome Italy | 30.4 | 16.7% | 3.8× | 9 | +42.2% |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is Social Capital and Networks research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 5% lower than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2015. The fastest-growing topics are Social Capital and Networks.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.