How Generalizable are Social Capital Theories Designed for the Core of the World System: An Examination of the Causes of Social Capital in a Rural, Island Hinterlands Region

Theoretical and empirical treatments which examine the causal factors leading to social capital formation abound in the literature about the wealthy nations of the core of the world system. It is uncertain however whether... [ view full abstract ]

Theoretical and empirical treatments which examine the causal factors leading to social capital formation abound in the literature about the wealthy nations of the core of the world system. It is uncertain however whether hypotheses in this literature apply in equally robust ways to the non-core. This study examines such central generalizations as strong supportive organizations and interpersonal networks are instrumental to increasing social groups’ ability to actuate their collective social capacity, through trust and reciprocity.  While this has been validated repeatedly for core nations, we consider the rural island hinterlands region of Carriacou, which is bonded rather tightly to the former dependency, Grenada, but otherwise essentially de-coupled from the rest of the world system.  Primary data gleaned using two methodologies, one quantitative and the other qualitative, are drawn from a representative citizens’ sample and from key informants’ interviews.  They are used to test how supportive organizational efficacy (government institutional and community organizations), civic organization participation, social interaction, and relevant socio-demographic characteristics influence interpersonal trust and norms of reciprocity outside the core.  Among many variables taken from the literature on the development of social capital, government efficacy, organizational participation, education, and gender are found to enhance these normative measures of social capital.  However, in some cases these factors cannot be said to exert a robust influence, and a large pool of other variables are found to be unrelated to our dependent variables in another region of the world system.  Data from the rural, island hinterlands’ region studied do not validate the theoretical and empirical package set forth in the social capital literature. We speculate on the partial causal role of recent hurricanes that have crossed and devastated a substantial portion of the island, and on the veracity of Simmel and Coser’s theorization on such external threats and internal group cohesion or conflict.  We conjecture that position in the global system and particularistic ties to a limited number of outside partners, coupled with resulting class divisions and rurality itself, combine to create a different causal structure for this island hinterlands region than that which emerges for core nations with opposing characteristics. We offer suggestions for future studies of the dynamic of social capital in settings outside the developed world.