In Social Capital, first published in 2001, Nan Lin explains the importance of using social connections and social relations in achieving goals. Social capital, or resources accessed through such connections and relations, is critical (along with human capital, or what a person or organization actually possesses) to individuals, social groups, organizations, and communities in obtaining their objectives. This book places social capital in the family of capital theories (the classical and neo-capital theories), articulates its elements and propositions, presents research programs, findings, and agenda, and theorizes its significance in various moments of interactions between individual actions and social structure (for example, the primordial groups, social exchanges, organizations, institutional transformations and cybernetworks). Nan Lin eloquently introduces a groundbreaking theory that forcefully argues and shows why it is 'who you know', as well as 'what you know' that makes a difference in life and society.

林南，現任杜剋大學社會學教授、亞太研究所所長，前美國社會學會副會長（1999-2000），颱灣中研院院士，中國人民大學榮譽教授，華中理工大學顧問教授，南開大學客座教授，復旦大學顧問教授和中山大學客座教授。其著作包括：《社會支持、生活事件與抑鬱》（Social Support, Life Events and Depression）（與Alfred Dean, Walter Ensel 閤著，1986）；《社會研究的基礎》（Foundation of Social Research）（1976）；《人類溝通研究》（The Study of Human Communication）（1973）等。他與Peter Marsden閤編瞭《社會結構與社會網絡分析》（Social Structure and network Analysis）（1982）。林南還有很多文章在《美國社會學評論》（American Sociological Review）、《美國社會學雜誌》（American Journal of Sociology）、《健康與社會行為雜誌》（Journal of Health and Social Behavior）、《社會力量》（Social Forces）等雜誌上發錶。