1 TOPIC SIX: COLLECTIVE ACTION AND SOCIAL CAPITAL

Introduction
In topic 6 you will learn how social capital and collective action are related

Topic Time
 Compulsory reading, self-assessments and practice exercise[4
hours]
 Independent Study hours [12 hours]
 Total student input [16 hours]

Topic Learning Requirement

 Participate in one systematic review

 Complete reading assignments

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

 Evaluate the significance of social capital in the developing the

agricultural sector
 Design tools to measure social capital
 Explain the role of collective action and social capital in
management of natural resources
 Contribute to policy debates on conservation of environmental
resources

Topic content

1.1 Definitions of Collective Action and Social Capital

Reflect on the prevalence of collective groups or interest groups among
African communities. People come together (“join hands”) to accomplish
different things. Collective groups are entrenched among the
communities; there must be a good rationale in such collectives. Think
of the community groups you are familiar with and answer the following
question: Why do people form collective groups (interest groups)?

1.2 Linking Collective Action to Social Capital

Reflect on Error: Reference source not found. Think about the situation
without the Water Users’ Association and the situation with the
Association. Without the Association, individual rational-self-interested
farm households worked towards maximizing their outputs by abstracting
higher amount of water from the furrow. The result was a socially
undesirable outcome, i.e., a Pareto-inefficient situation. Now discuss the
following

1. Does the situation reflect a tragedy of the commons?

2. What type of good is the water flowing down the furrow?
3. Speculate on what would have happened had the situation been left
to continue for longer without the intervention of a collective?
4. What is the application of the game theory in resolving the crisis?

Now reflect on the situation with the Association. What did the
Association bring into the situation?

Putnam (2004) attributes the coining of the term “social capital” to

Hanifan (1916). Since then “social capital” has come to be conceptualised
as a capital embedded in social relations, which in turn structural
constraints and opportunities, actions, and choices. It is conceptualised
as multifaceted, and includes networks, trust, good will, reciprocity, and
shared language and understanding, as well as rules and norms governing
social action. These comprise three dimensions relational, structural and
cognitive. Social capital is also conceptualised as embodying factors that
enable people to act collectively. In other words, we can conceptualise
social capital as assets embedded in social relations.
1.3 Perverse Social Capital
Think about organized crimes, e.g., cattle rustling. How do they relate to
collective action and social capital? Rubio (1997) has contrasted two types
of social capital (i) productive social capital that he terms as an “asset
that favours society's economic efficiency” and (ii) perverse social capital
that he describes as “detrimental to economic efficiency and the welfare
of society”.

Discussion questions

1. What is the importance of social connections and social relations

in facilitating achievement of goals?

2. Provide a typology of capital and discuss how each relates to

social capital.

3. With special reference to your course specialization, identify

three perverse collective actions in your Country and discuss
how they affect the country’s welfare

1.4 Empirical Measurement and Application of Collective Action and

Social Capital
In sub-section 1.2 you learnt that social capital is multifaceted. Hence,
comprehensive measured require that you first identify of all relevant
dimensions. You also need to delineate the scope appropriately. Literature
identifies different types of social capital including informal versus formal;
Structural versus cognitive; bonding versus bridging; and outward versus
inward looking. Furthermore, also it is multi-layered, comprising micro,
meso and macro levels.

Assignment

1. In groups of five identify one collective action you are familiar with.
2. In active participation of all the five course mates you will study the
3 articles/books provided below
3. After reading agree on how you would measure the social capital of
your chosen collective action
 4. Submit a group assignment
1. Grootaert, C., & Van Bastelar, T. (Eds.). (2002).Understanding and
measuring social capital: A multi-disciplinary tool for practitioners.
The World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/

2. Grootaert, C., Narayan, D., Jones, V. N., & Woolcock, M.

(2004). Measuring social capital: An integrated questionnaire. The
World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/

3. Payne, G. T., Moore, C. B., Griffis, S. E., & Autry, C. W. (2011).

Multilevel challenges and opportunities in social capital
research. Journal of management, 37(2), 491-520.
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?
doi=10.1.1.947.753&rep=rep1&type=pdf

4. Mwangi, E., & Markelova, H. (2009). Collective action and property

rights for poverty reduction: A review of methods and
approaches. Development Policy Review, 27(3), 307-331.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1467-
7679.2009.00448.x?casa_token=ux-AUBj-
ogQAAAAA:gbxFrKOi8z9CgJZ796XQBZhgazAx54FG9prVXptrpMxe3iy
5qmBEXV-PIF14g8n4L70FQVqjWh5fSvE

1.5 Collective Action in Natural Resource Management

For this sub-topic, study the following resources:

5. CAPRi. (2010). Resources, Rights and Cooperation: A Sourcebook

on Property Rights and Collective Action for Sustainable
Development. Chapter 3
https://capri.cgiar.org/files/pdf/Resources_Rights_Cooperation_full.pdf.

6. Murdiyarso, D., & Skutsch, M. (Eds.). (2006). Community forest

management as a carbon mitigation option: case studies. CIFOR.
Chapter 1&2
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Grace_Villamor/publication/2519
80217_The_Ikalahan_Ancestral_Domain_the_Philippines/links/53ed14f
b0cf2981ada125e41/The-Ikalahan-Ancestral-Domain-the-
Philippines.pdf

7. Pretty, J., & Ward, H. (2001). Social capital and the

environment. World development, 29(2), 209-227.
https://faculty.ucmerced.edu/ecampbell3/slkiva/Pretty-GMF-2001.pdf