| Title | : | Unanticipated Gains: Origins of Network Inequality in Everyday Life |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0195384350 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780195384352 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 312 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2009 |
Exploring the experiences of New York City mothers whose children were enrolled in childcare centers, this book examines why a great deal of these mothers, after enrolling their children, dramatically expanded both the size and usefulness of their personal networks. Whether, how, and how much the mother's networks were altered--and how useful these networks were--depended on the apparently trivial, but remarkably consequential, practices and regulations of the centers. The structure of parent-teacher organizations, the frequency of fieldtrips, and the rules regarding drop-off and pick-up times all affected the mothers' networks. Relying on scores of in-depth interviews with mothers, quantitative data on both mothers and centers, and detailed case studies of other routine organizations, Small shows that how much people gain from their connections depends substantially on institutional conditions they often do not control, and through everyday processes they may not even be aware of.
Emphasizing not the connections that people make, but the context in which they are made, Unanticipated Gains presents a major new perspective on social capital and on the mechanisms producing social inequality.
Unanticipated Gains: Origins of Network Inequality in Everyday Life Reviews
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Solid work of urban sociology, although strangely titled--this is a study of Manhattan child care centers as a builder of organizational and social capital for their clients, who are often single mothers or "fragile families." The study found that these centers were excellent conduits of organizational capital (information on tax forms, connections to admission to charter schools, medical referrals, etc.), but that social capital, especially of the kinds most valuable (emergency child care, leads on jobs, apartment vacancies, small-scale financial help, short-term physical assistance) were best encouraged using sometimes counter-intuitive policies like requiring parents to serve on fundraising committees, attend meetings or pick up their kids at an inflexible time (requiring them to have to wait and talk to one another). I am always fascinated by social capital networks and this is a pretty reliable quantification of their value.
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This is very interesting and a possible explanation for the inconsistent results in neighborhood effects research. Small's work focuses on the social networks, particularly for mothers whose children are enrolled in childcare centers. Social capital - what is gained and exchanged in social relationships - is the framework that undergirds the interpretation here. Small's work falls in sociology, a field I think I should have focused on as a younger student. I'm going to read more of his work, I'm hooked.
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I learned a great deal about social capital theory via this book. The author outlines the results of his research in several NYC childcare settings and illustrates the networking that occurs in this setting.
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So clever. Small shows how our social networks and our ability I make them work for us depends less on our intentions and much more on the contexts in which we interact. I'll look at childcare centers differently forever. Great read! -
Really important info, but written with almost Aspergers awkwardness.
