Ever since its first known usage by L.J. Hanifan in 1916 as ¿those tangible substances [that] count for most in the daily lives of people: namely good will, fellowship, sympathy, and social intercourse among the individuals and families who make up a social unit¿ (cited in Putnam 2000:19), the concept of social capital has been widely used in the sociological literature to indicate the importance of interpersonal ties for a more productive social life and accepted as one of the most popular exports from sociological theory in everyday language (Portes 1998)