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Are Theories About Social Capital Empirically Supported? Evidence from the Farming Sector

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  • Esperanza Vera-Toscano
  • Fernando Garrido-Fernández
  • José Gómez-Limón
  • José Cañadas-Reche

Abstract

Social capital is the bond that links societies together and without which there is little opportunity for economic growth or individual well-being. Thus, this paper aims to contribute to the literature by providing an analytically reliable concept of social capital and a methodological tool for empirically testing a theoretical model of how social capital is built. Based upon a decomposition of the concept of social capital characterising three main dimensions (i.e., structural, relational and cognitive), for each specific group of individuals under study the structural equation model allows us: (1) to confirm the multidimensional construct of social capital; (2) to measure the interrelation between its different attributes and; (3) to set a solid basis for additional research on the effects of social capital. This approach has been empirically applied to Andalusian (southern Spain) farmers as case study. We believe this research to be a fundamental starting point for informing social capital policymakers and helping them implement the necessary tools to facilitate sustainable development processes at different moments in time as it takes into account the multidimensional, contextual and dynamic nature of the concept. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

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  • Esperanza Vera-Toscano & Fernando Garrido-Fernández & José Gómez-Limón & José Cañadas-Reche, 2013. "Are Theories About Social Capital Empirically Supported? Evidence from the Farming Sector," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 114(3), pages 1331-1359, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:114:y:2013:i:3:p:1331-1359
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-012-0205-7
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