Understanding the Role of Social Capital in the Production of Affordable Housing in Orange County, California

Author: Jennifer Gress

Dissertation School: University of California, Irvine

Pages: 348

Publication Date: March 2007

Availability:
Available from the HUD USER Helpdesk P.O. Box 23268 Washington, DC 20026-3268 Toll Free: 1-800-245-2691 Fax: 1-202-708-9981 Email: oup@oup.org

Access Number: 10824

Abstract:

Social capital is defined as features of social structure such as networks, norms, and trust that facilitate individual and collective action. Participation in associations and other groups are though to foster social capital, and social capital may facilitate the exchange of resources among organizations in the pursuit of affordable housing development.

Two overarching questions are addressed in this research. The first concerns the extent to which associations and collaboratives serve as sources of social capital and facilitate access to resources and production activity. The second question concerns understanding and identifying the role of social capital in accessing and mobilizing resources to produce housing.

These questions were addressed through a case study of the affordable housing community in Orange County, California. Forty-nine individuals representing developers, lenders, and local governments participated in the study, which employed a mixed methodology consisting of semi-structure interviews and network surveys.

The results regarding associations suggest that they provide a forum that fosters familiarity and the formation of weak ties among participants. However, the data also suggest that relationship-building in the context of these types of associations is not prevalent or critical enough to affect developers' access to resources and production activity.

Data regarding the forms and functions of social capital reveal four themes that shed light on the dynamics of social capital in affordable housing development:

• Different types of organizations may use social capital to access different kinds of resources.
• Social capital varies in importance and strength at different phases of development.
• Different forms of social capital operate in affordable housing development, which serve different functions according to each phase of development.
• Developers vary in the extent to which they use social capital to access resources and produce housing.

These results are helpful in developing a more complete understanding of the role of social capital and provide for a re-conceptualization of the construct as it applies to affordable housing development. Many questions remain, however, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

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