Social Capital Networks and Socioeconomic Mobility in Postgraduate Co-Living Spaces: Comparative Analysis of the Bonding-Bridging Dichotomy

Abstract

Social capital is widely theorized as a catalyst of socioeconomic mobility. Yet, scholars disagree on whether deep bonding ties or heterophilous bridging connections matter more, especially within emerging economy housing markets. Addressing this gap, the present study investigated 83 professionally managed postgraduate co-living complexes in Nigeria to compare the mobility associations of bonding versus bridging networks. An explanatory sequential design surveyed 641 residents and conducted 34 follow-up interviews. A two-stage structural equation modeling (SEM) strategy estimated associations with four latent outcomes. These are professional-network growth, business opportunity creation, skill acquisition rates, and partnership formation, and confirmed predictive relevance (Q2=0.24–0.32). Bridging capital showed the strongest association with outward-facing outcomes (β = 0.41 for network growth; β = 0.36 for opportunity creation), whereas bonding capitalpredicted inward-oriented competencies (β = 0.34 for skill acquisition; β = 0.39 for partnership formation). An inverted-U saturation effect (β = –0.12) and outcome-specific moderation revealed that moderate bonding predicts, yet excessive bonding crowds out, bridging dividends. These context-sensitive patterns qualify prevailing Global-North generalizations, integrate Bourdieu’s capital-activation logic with Putnam’s relational taxonomy, and demonstrate a replicable analytic template for co-living research. The findings guide developers and university housing policy in balancing communal rituals with curated heterogeneity to enhance graduate employability and inclusive urban regeneration.