ELITE EDUCATION AND SOCIAL CAPITAL - THE CASE OF SOUTH-KOREA

Graduation from an elite university bestows advantages in the labor ma rket, but it is not known whether these advantages accrue from a unive rsity's prestige or from graduates' social background, ability, or dif ferent types of social capital. This study used original data on male university graduates in South Korea to explore the relationships among university prestige, human capital, social background, and students' access to social capital through their university (institutional socia l capital) and their families and friends (private social capital). Th e study found that private social capital does not tend to lead to the best jobs. Rather, the probability of being matched with a top employ er is higher through direct application and is enhanced at prestigious universities through the schools' provision of introductions 50 emplo yers. The close relationships among family background, human capital, and university prestige mean that a highly select group of South Korea n men acquire the best jobs.