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.