Social Solidarity as a Catalyst for Economic Development in Fishing Communities in Maritime Border Regions: Empirical Evidence from Natuna Regency, Indonesia

Maritime border regions continue to experience persistent economic disparities despite their abundant marine resources. Although previous studies have established the positive role of social capital in strengthening community resilience and institutional effectiveness, limited attention has been given to the institutional mechanisms through which social capital generates collective economic development. This study examines how social capital is transformed into collective economic development through the institutionalization of social solidarity among fishing communities in Natuna Regency, Indonesia. Employing an interpretive qualitative approach with a descriptive research design, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis between January and June 2025 and analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The findings reveal that social networks, shared values and norms, and interpersonal trust cultivate social solidarity, which is institutionalized through cooperation, reciprocity, deliberation, conflict resolution, resource sharing, and organizational coordination. These institutionalized collective practices strengthen collective action, reduce transaction costs and production risks, improve information exchange, and enhance household economic resilience and adaptive capacity. However, collective economic development remains constrained by dependence on middlemen, limited cooperative capacity, inadequate access to finance, and weak bridging and linking social capital. This study proposes a conceptual framework positioning social solidarity as an institutional catalyst that transforms social capital into collective action, thereby advancing sustainable collective economic development and extending Putnam's Social Capital Theory through the integration of Durkheim's concept of social solidarity.