Nan Lin - Research

Research

Lin's research interest lies in social networks, social support and social capital. He has contributed theory, devised measurements and conducted empirical research in each of these areas. He has applied the theory and measurements to the study of social stratification and mobility, stress and coping, and individual, organization and community well-being.

Lin has employed both quantitative methods—such as large-scale national surveys, and surveys in organizations and communities—and qualitative methods, such as intensive long-term observations in villages, for example.

Having written about social networks since the early 1980s, Lin contributed to the economically-oriented branch of the literature on social capital defined by Mark Granovetter and James Coleman, seeking to establish a research paradigm which integrates theory with empirical testing. His definition of social capital as access to resources through network ties is one of the most widely accepted conceptualizations of the term. This definition of social capital is quantifiable and widely held to be more precise than the one popularized by Robert Putnam. Lin also rejects Putnam's thesis, put forward in Bowling Alone, that social capital is decreasing; he maintains that it is, in fact, on the ascent thanks to increasingly pervasive online networking.