Journal of Rural Development

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Social Capital Mobilisation Through Community-Based Organisations For The Effective Management Of Rural-Commons: A Study on ‘Kudumbashree’


Affiliations
1 Research Scholar, Centre for Studies in Social Management, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, India
2 Assistant Professor, Centre for Studies in Social Management, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


Commons is a self-organised social system for managing common-pool resources, which refers to natural or man-made common goods like fishing grounds, forest and irrigation systems, etc. For the effective management of commons, the participants must have mutual trust and communication that can lead to collective action. Hence, social capital is important whereby community members communicate, cooperate and network to resolve any difficulties that come in the way of the common upright. The cost associated with this collective action in managing rural commons can be reduced by social capital. So, finding ways to strengthen the social capital of a community may be one key to solving the complications of the commons. The potential of microfinance enables the incorporation of the community by the collective action and creation of more sustainable community-based organisations. This paper seeks to draw the connection between group-based microfinance programmes, social capital and commons. It also pursues to empirically analyse how microfinance contributes to managing rural commons with reference to ‘Kudumbashree,’ a microfinance-led financial security model of local economic development and women empowerment in Kerala. Neighbourhood Groups of Kudumbashree act as a meaningful agent in the creation and development of social capital and managing resources towards the objective of economic development and women empowerment. The study extensively used secondary sources of information like reports from governments, public agencies, international organisations, and the academic literature in the field. .

Keywords

Social Capital, Commons, Community-Based Organisations, Microfinance, Kudumbashree.
User
Subscription Login to verify subscription
Notifications
Font Size

  • Anderson, C. L., Locker, L., & Nugent, R. (2002). Microcredit, Social Capital, and Common Pool Resources - ScienceDirect. World Development, 30(1), 95-105.

  • Bastelaer, T. V. (1999). Imperfect Information, Social Capital and the Poor’s Access to Credit (SSRN Scholarly Paper No. ID 260058). Rochester, NY: Social Science Research Network.

  • Bourdieu, P. (1986). The Forms of Capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241-258). New York: Greenwood Press.

  • Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital. The American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95-S120.

  • Cosmides, L., & Tooby, J. (1994). Better than Rational: Evolutionary Psychology and the Invisible Hand. American Economic Review, 84(2), 327-332.

  • Guiso, L., Sapienza, P., & Zingales, L. (2010). Civic Capital as the Missing Link. Social Economics Handbook, 1(1(B)), 417-480.

  • Hardin, G. (1968). The Tragedy of the Commons. Science, 162(3859), 1243-1248.

  • Inglehart, R., & Norris, P. (2003). The True Clash of Civilizations. Foreign Policy, (135), 62-70.

  • Jetti, A. . (2011). Microfinance, Gender and the Commons: Current Challenges and Future Possibilities.Presented at the Sustaining Commons: Sustaining Our Future, the Thirteenth Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons, Hyderabad, India.

  • Johnkutty, J. (2012). Kudumbashree in Kerala An Evaluation. University of Kerala.

  • Khandker, S. R. (1998). Fighting Poverty with Microcredit. Published for the World Bank, Oxford University Press.

  • Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action.Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.

  • Ostrom, E. (1998). A Behavioral Approach to the Rational Choice Theory of Collective Action: Presidential Address, American Political Science Association, 1997. The American Political Science Review, 92(1), 1-22.

  • Ostrom, E., Gardner, R., & Walker, J. (1994). Rules, Games, and Common-Pool Resources. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.

  • Putnam, R. (1993, Spring). The Prosperous Community: Social Capital and Public Life. The American Prospect. Retrieved from http://prospect.org/article/prosperous-community-social-capital-andpublic-life

  • Reficco, E. A., & Marquez, P. (2009). Inclusive Networks for Building BOP Markets (SSRN Scholarly Paper No. ID 1412785). Rochester, NY: Social Science Research Network.

  • Schneider, H. (1999). Participatory governance for poverty reduction. Journal of International Development, 11(4), 521-534.

  • Sirianni, C., & Friedland, L. (2001). Civic Innovation in America: Community Empowerment, Public Policy, and the Movement for Civic Renewal. University of California Press.

  • Stiglitz, J. E. (1990). Symposium on Bubbles. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 4(2), 13-18.

  • Todd, H. (1996). Women at the Center: Grameen Bank Borrowers after One Decade Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

  • Wiesinger, G. (2007). The Importance of Social Capital in Rural Development, Networking and Decision Making in Rural Areas. Journal of Alpine Research | Revue de Géographie Alpine, 95(4), 43-56.


Abstract Views: 126

PDF Views: 0




  • Social Capital Mobilisation Through Community-Based Organisations For The Effective Management Of Rural-Commons: A Study on ‘Kudumbashree’

Abstract Views: 126  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Jasmy Anto
Research Scholar, Centre for Studies in Social Management, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, India
Litty Denis
Assistant Professor, Centre for Studies in Social Management, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, India

Abstract


Commons is a self-organised social system for managing common-pool resources, which refers to natural or man-made common goods like fishing grounds, forest and irrigation systems, etc. For the effective management of commons, the participants must have mutual trust and communication that can lead to collective action. Hence, social capital is important whereby community members communicate, cooperate and network to resolve any difficulties that come in the way of the common upright. The cost associated with this collective action in managing rural commons can be reduced by social capital. So, finding ways to strengthen the social capital of a community may be one key to solving the complications of the commons. The potential of microfinance enables the incorporation of the community by the collective action and creation of more sustainable community-based organisations. This paper seeks to draw the connection between group-based microfinance programmes, social capital and commons. It also pursues to empirically analyse how microfinance contributes to managing rural commons with reference to ‘Kudumbashree,’ a microfinance-led financial security model of local economic development and women empowerment in Kerala. Neighbourhood Groups of Kudumbashree act as a meaningful agent in the creation and development of social capital and managing resources towards the objective of economic development and women empowerment. The study extensively used secondary sources of information like reports from governments, public agencies, international organisations, and the academic literature in the field. .

Keywords


Social Capital, Commons, Community-Based Organisations, Microfinance, Kudumbashree.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd%2F2021%2Fv40%2Fi3%2F145810