Abstract: Social capital has long been a hot issue in studies of sociology.However,the studies at home mainly focus on individual-oriented social capital,while theoretical and empirical studies of society-oriented social capital appear scattered,unsystematic and not normalized.Almost all the relevant researches fail to distinguish the two perspectives in the definition,theory and methodology.As a matter of fact,it is the social perspective of the research that has received more attention among scholars abroad and international organizations.This paper,then,attempts to explain the major theories of social capital,including its definition,characteristics,types,approaches,social significance and so on,and points out the practical significance of this theory under circumstances of China’s social development.The paper ends with a summary of the main criteria for measuring the social capital with the intention of promoting researches of social capital at home from this perspective.

Key words: social capital, trust, society-oriented social capital, measuring social capital

摘要： 社会资本一直是国内外社会学研究的热点,但是,国内的研究基本上是对个人为中心的社会资本的研究,在社会为中心的社会资本的理论和实证研究方面,尚处于相当零碎、不系统和不规范的阶段,几乎所有的社会资本研究常常混淆两种视角的社会资本的概念、理论和方法。而实际上,后者的研究在国外学术界和国际组织中更加受到关注。本文阐述了该社会资本的主要理论内容,包括其定义、特点、类型、途径、社会意义以及对我国社会发展的现实意义,最后,概括测量这类社会资本的主要指标内容。希望借此来促进国内对这一社会资本的研究。

关键词: 社会资本, 信任, 社会为中心的社会资本, 社会资本测量