Abstract

The paper presents and discusses preliminary comparative results of a survey on social capital conducted in six Italian areas of small business using CAPI interviews to a population of 352 small entrepreneurs. Social capital at micro level is operationalized through the structure of respondent's ego-network in two points in time, in order to study actors' strategies in the formation of their social capital. Size and density of the network, multiplexity of ties and status of alter are used as measure of social capital and compared with ecological indicators of social capital at macro level. The results are centered not only on the consequences of social capital on the performance of business in term of personnel increase, but also on strategies of entrepreneurs in increasing their personal social capital. Findings show a positive correlation between the endowment of social capital at micro and at macro level, and different network structures and dynamics across areas and sectors.