Embarking from a model of social capital hinging upon four social structureswork family social networks and voluntary associationsBrian Jones empirically examines the widespread claims that American society is becoming less sociable trusting and cooperative Breaking down datasets drawn from the General Social Survey conductedtimes fromtoSocial Capital in American Life depicts the social values drawn from the four established social structures as well as their interrelationships their determinants and ultimately their social capital through a series of statistical and econometric methods This rigorous empirically driven analysis reveals how American society both confirms and repudiates fears about decreased cooperation given different cases and parametersnbsp