Induced social capital and federations of the rural poor

Poor people's organisations embody a particular and important form of structural social capital. However, the nature of these organisations varies greatly: by scale, by role, by effectiveness and by degree of inclusiveness and exclusiveness. This diversity cautions against any tendency to talk generically and romantically about organisations of the rural poor. Federated forms of organisation that bridge some of these differences are therefore of particular interest. This paper reports on a study comparing such federations across sites in the Andes of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. The study discusses a methodology for assessing the different dimensions of social capital embodied in these organisations. It also presents findings that show that: i) the strength and quality of these different dimensions of social capital varies considerably among different organisations; ii) the ability to build links among member organisations and with external actors are each critical for organisational effectiveness; and iii) organisations with strong social capital have, inter alia, contributed to more inclusive forms of municipal governance, helped build local negotiating capacity and linkages with product and input markets, and in some cases fostered cultural revitalisation. Importantly, the study also concludes that federations constitute an important form of social capital that, given moderately favourable policy contexts, can be induced by long-term, knowledge-intensive - though not necessarily costly - forms of external intervention.

(Abstract)