Bridging, Linking, and Bonding Social Capital in Collective Action: The Case of Kalahan Forest Reserve in the Philippines

Abstract

This paper seeks to identify the factors which are responsible for successful management of natural resources when communities are given opportunities to manage those resources. Applying the social capital framework, it analyzes empirical data from the well known case of Kalahan Educational Foundation, the Philippines. The study confirms previous findings, which have emphasized the high level of cohesion and traditional norms among a homogeneous community of indigenous peoples (bonding social capital) as a success factor. This study further identifies that for effective management of collective action, mobilization of bridging and linking social capital are equally important as they do not only help mobilize external resources but, at times, also promote bonding social capital.

Capital social et gestion des conflits dans le périmètre irrigué de Malanville au Bénin

“…L'échelle des relations entre les GMP et l'UGPPM en tant que leur organisation faîtière relève du capital social d'attachement, étant donné qu'il s'agit de la même unité organisationnelle. Le capital social de contact décrit l'habileté de la communauté locale à s'engager avec des structures ou personnes externes en position de pouvoir et d'influence telles que des leaders politiques et de riches personnalités (Dahal et Adhikari, 2008). Le capital social de contact de l'UGPPM regroupe les politiciens ou les responsables de sociétés publiques ou privées natifs de la localité, qui interagissent à titre personnel avec les coopérateurs ou groupes de coopérateurs dans le périmètre irrigué, en matière d'enjeux ou de conflits.…”

Empowering Smallholder Women Farmers through Participatory Seed Potato Management: Lessons from Welmera District, Ethiopia

“…The benefits created through the intervention are also creating challenges to women farmers as well as to the entire seed potato value chain in the region. It appears that the three dimensions of social capital (bonding, bridging and linking) have been improved although in different degreesbridging and linking aspects of their social capital need further improvements as compared to the bonding social capital (Dahal & Adhikari, 2008). Table 4 highlights some of the key challenges in the intervention process, women farmer responses and some tangible opportunities available in the future.…”

“…It appears that women farmers' problems were multi-faceted and their responses were also multidimensional. Their challenges relate to the three types of social capital, namely bonding (within group), bridging (between groups) and linking to the wider public-private agricultural innovation systems (e.g., Pretty, 2003;Heemskerk & Wennink, 2004;Dahal & Adhikari, 2008). It was clear that some of the problems were beyond the capacity of the farmers and hence require multi-stakeholder processes (Bernet et al, 2006;Vermeulen et al, 2008) and deliberate actions to be taken specific to women as a special group (Gawaya, 2008) in order to sustain the process.…”