Sandra
L. Hofferth, Johanne Boisjoly, and Greg J. Duncan
Abstract
We investigate whether a family's access to social
capital—defined here as perceived access to time and money
help in an emergency from kin and friends—depends upon the
family's past time and money investments in those kin and friends.
We also examine the potential tadeoffs between money and time help
from friends and relatives. Data come from parents of children under
age 18 who responded to a supplement on time and money assistance
included in the 1980 wave of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics.
Results suggest that while parents who invest in friend-based help
networks have greater potential access to assistance, there is no
significant link between investment in family and access to family-based
assistance. Thus, while exchange describes social capital linkages
to friends, it does not describe family-based behaviors. Other findings
are that time and money appear to be complements while investments
in friends or family are substitutes.
Sandra L. Hofferth, Institute
for Social Research, University of Michigan Johanne Boisjoly, Department of Sociology, University
of Quebec at Rimouski Greg J. Duncan, School of Education and Social
Policy, Northwestern Univeristy
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