Social capital for rural development in Pakistan : an assessment of the causal links and outcomes | |
| Author | Akram, Sohail |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.RD-14-02 |
| Subject(s) | Social capital (Sociology)--Evaluation --Pakistan Rural development--Evaluation--Pakistan |
| Note | A dissertation submitted for partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Regional and Rural Development Planning |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. RD-14-02 |
| Abstract | The research evaluates causative effect of social capital on different aspects of rural development in Pakistan. The specific objectives of the study were to assess the effect of social capital on income of farm households, to investigate causal link between social capital and households’ access to credit, to examine the role of social capital for community based irrigation system and provide recommendation for policy intervention to promote and utilize social capital for rural development Household and community level primary data was collected from a rural district of Pakistan. A standardized questionnaire was employed to collect data as a main instrument supplemented by group discussion and key informant.. Data was analyzed mainly by statistical techniques of multivariate analysis with the support of qualitative analysis The findings of the research confirm the hypothesis that higher levels of social capital within a rural community will have a positive impact on the households’ income. The results of OLS regression showed that among the individual social capital variables democratic decision making, generalized trust and attendance at social gatherings were identified as significant factor associated with household income. The results of 2SLS confirms the exogeneity of social capital implying that social capital is one of various factors that determine the income level of rural households. As the impact of social capital on household income is usually indirect, some of the proximate channels through which social capital affects income of rural households were also identified. It was found that households in villages with more social capital are more likely to use advanced agricultural practices, join in communal activities, use credit for agricultural and have access to timely and perfect information The results of the study also provide empirical evidence of a positive and strong relationship between social capital and microfinance programs. Active participation in local organization, level of trust and heterogeneity of the associations were identified as key social capital dimensions effecting household’s access to credit. Trust, as a measure of cognitive dimension of social capital, demonstrated highest role as a facilitator for borrowing from a group based microfinance programs. The results of the study also demonstrated enhanced bonding and bridging social capital by microfinance programs working under a group based approach. It was found that, in most cases, microfinance program in the study area has helped its members in creating and sustaining positive social capital. Most of the members have benefitted by enhancing their decision making abilities and improvement in social and economic lives through collective action The results of case study analysis show that trust and common values shared by a small community could enable the poor farmers to establish their own self help associations with a combination of roles, rules, norms and values without much external support.. The farmers in the study area successfully rehabilitated their traditional irrigation system through their active participation in decision making process and their cash and labor contribution to the activities of water users associations that supported mutually beneficial collective action Local organizations, in rural Pakistan, formed for non-economic purposes without the sponsorships of government or NGOs, were seen as potential sources of social capital formation. This study is one of the first of its kind in Pakistan and hopefully, will contribute to the limited knowledge on social capital literature in the country generally and in the context of rural development specifically. |
| Year | 2014 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. RD-14-02 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Rural Development, Gender and Resources (RD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Routray, Jayant K. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Soparth Pongquan ;Doneys, Philippe |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | University of Baluchistan, Quetta (Pakistan) ;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph. D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2014 |