Position Generator Method
The position generator, developed by Nan Lin and colleagues, is a survey instrument for measuring an individual's social capital — the resources embedded in their personal network. Respondents are presented with a sample of occupations spanning the prestige hierarchy and asked, for each, whether they know anyone in that job. From these answers, the method derives indicators such as the number of positions accessed (extensity), the highest-prestige position reachable (upper reachability), and the range of prestige spanned, summarizing the volume and diversity of resources a person can mobilize through their contacts.
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Sources
- Lin, N. (2001). Social Capital: A Theory of Social Structure and Action. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 978-0-521-52167-3
- Van der Gaag, M., & Snijders, T. A. B. (2005). The Resource Generator: Social capital quantification with concrete items. Social Networks, 27(1), 1–29. DOI: 10.1016/j.socnet.2004.10.001 ↗
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 22). Position Generator for Measuring Social Capital. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/sociology/position-generator-method
Which method?
Set this method beside its closest kin and read them side by side — the library lays the books on the table; the choice is yours.
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- Ego Network AnalysisNetwork analysis↔ compare
- Name Generator MethodSociology↔ compare
- Occupational Prestige ScaleSociology↔ compare
- Social Network AnalysisNetwork analysis↔ compare