Networks of Opportunity: Exploring the Connection Between Social Networks, Social Capital and Economic Outcomes for Second-generation Dutch-Moroccans
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2025-07-18
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en
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This thesis examines how social networks and social capital shape the economic outcomes of second-generation Moroccan-Dutch individuals, considering them as potential tools to counteract policy-driven marginalisation and workplace discrimination. The study asks how these networks are structured and how different forms of social capital influence economic outcomes.
Drawing on semi-structured interviews with ten participants, the findings challenge earlier research that portrays these networks as exclusively tight and co-ethnic. While most social capital was rooted in co-ethnic ties—providing emotional and practical support (“getting by”)—participants also maintained broader, ethnically diverse networks. Bridging social capital, especially connections with people of fully Dutch background, proved more effective in improving economic opportunities (“getting ahead”).
Although most respondents were economically secure, some reported experiences of institutional racism in employment contexts. Limited evidence suggests that interethnic bridging, when created by connections with people with a Dutch background, may help counter such marginalisation by facilitating access to workplaces where discrimination was absent. A key limitation is that marginalisation was addressed primarily as background context rather than a focal topic. Future research should investigate it explicitly to clarify the role of social networks and social capital in overcoming exclusion in the labour market.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen