60 Chapter 4 Social capital theory Viewing the influence of an IPE-intervention through a theoretical lens can help to understand why IPE is effective. One of the theories used to study the ‘how’ of IPE is the theory of social capital (Craig et al., 2016; Hean et al., 2013; Lee et al., 2019). Social capital theory describes how social relationships and social networks generate benefits, i.e. resources of knowledge or support, for the individuals involved in them (Bhandari & Yasunobu, 2009). These social networks are a key component in IPE and IPC (Dennick, 2012; Hean et al., 2012), since students learn ‘with, from and about’ each other. In other fields social capital is associated with several advantages such as innovation and improved health outcomes (Lee et al., 2019; Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998). In IPE-research social capital has been used in several case studies (Burgess et al., 2020; Craig et al., 2016; Lee et al., 2019). Research about the transfer of knowledge and experiences from IPE to IPC is needed, and maybe social capital facilitate this transfer. Based on levels of social cohesion, social capital can be divided into three forms: bonding, bridging and linking social capital (Bhandari & Yasunobu, 2009). Bonding refers to connections between people that are close and strong, such as family, close friends and neighbors. It often involves people with the same characteristics and background. Bridging social capital occurs in more distant relationships, with people who are more ‘unalike’, for example with colleagues. Linking social capital refers to ties among individuals that are not only unalike, but also have different power and social status, for example between employers and employees (Bhandari & Yasunobu, 2009). Figure 4.1 depicts all these forms of social capital.
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