Dynamics of social capital in Urban China, 1999 to 2014: An age-period-cohort analysis

This paper provides new evidence on the dynamics of social capital across the life course and over different periods in urban China. Using three cross-sectional datasets from the Job Search and Social Network survey (1999, 2009, and 2014), this study distinguishes family-centered and work-centered social capital and then constructs age-period-cohort models of social capital. The age effects indicate that social capital stock shows an inverse U shape across the individual life course, with the peak occurring between ages 38 and 42 years old. Period effects suggest a significant increase in social capital stock from 1999 to 2014, during which time family-centered social capital declined, while work-centered social capital was invigorated and became the primary source of social capital for urban residents. Cohort effects indicate that political events and institutional reforms exert profound effects on the accumulation of social capital for different birth cohorts. The birth cohort growing up in 1930–1948 stands out as having relatively high social capital, while social capital underwent a significant decline among those who grew up from 1949 to 1978, followed by rapid growth again among those born after 1979. These conclusions enhance the nuanced understanding of the dynamics of social capital across the micro life course and macro social processes.