پویایی سرمایۀ اجتماعی شبکۀ ذی‌نفعان محلی در راستای مدیریت مشارکتی روستایی مطالعۀ موردی: شهرستان گچساران

1. Introduction

Social capital refers to “resources embedded in social relations”. It is known for its potential role in the joint management. Because it may reduce the expenses of working, enhance information transition, improve social movement, and encourage collaboration by shared standards, it is becoming increasingly popular. Numerous have examined the effects of social capital, focusing on community empowerment.The distribution of social resources among different communities has different characteristics. Therefore, in order to reduce conceptual complexities and homogenize the interests of residents, especially in rural communities, increased research on joint management of social capital and empowerment has been emphasized. According to the mentioned definitions and based on the objectives of the research, the study of social capital and its examples, including trust and collaboration in the empowerment of rural society, is a key principle in rural development.

2. Methodology

Gachsaran county is located in Kohgiluye and Boyerahmad province, Iran, with a population of 12400 people. in this city, most people are engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry and their annual income depends on these sectors. Given economic issues in this region, the “Progress and Development of Rural Systems” project was established in this area. This project aimed to institutionalize and build capacity among rural people, which enables their empowerment and collaboration, as well as the empowerment of rural communities, to improve their livelihood and living standards. In fact, the creation of micro-credit funds has been formed with the approach of micro-financing based on the production value chain and supporting sustainable employment in this field. Social Network Analysis (SNA) was employed as a research method in this study because gauging social capital is crucial and challenging, and it is a crucial approach for assessing this capital. This method allows researchers to investigate structured connections among players inside a system that either facilitate or hinder human behavior. In this research, the highest-level indexes of the social network have been studied which are introduced as follow: Density, Centralization, Reciprocity, Transitivity and Geodesic Distance. The sample size for this research is comprised of all members of microcredit funds in 2 villages (totaling 123 members). In this research "full network method" was used.

3. Results

According to the results, the Density index in all of the studied areas was increased after the implementation of the empowerment project. In addition, on average, the Reciprocity and Transitivity index increased in trust and collaboration networks in the studied villages. Thus, it could be understood that social capital and empowerment in local communities are both required and complementary. The results showed that after the implementation of the plan, the Centralization decreased and power was divided among the activists. The Geodesic Distance between the two bonds of trust and participation indicates the relatively favorable speed of trust, participation, unity and unity among people, which has continued to decrease after the implementation of the project. As a result, any action aimed at building the capacity of the local community, increasing social capital, and promoting trust and collaboration among local communities will ultimately lead to maintaining and strengthening the social structures of that community. Therefore, this community develops into a region, which serves as the foundation for long-term rural development. These results can be administered to other areas of research and interference such as studies of community development, participatory research, and social intervention.

4. Discussion

According to the results of the density index in the investigated networks, this rate is medium to high, and in terms of trust, cooperation, and social capital, the continuity between the networks rises by the same amount. Accordingly, between the studied links, dense networks can be supposed, this approach can be useful to enhance and develop the social capital of the members.

Based on the results of the concentration index, the implementation of the project has been effective in reducing the concentration and division of power in the network. Gašević et al. (2019) noted that the lower the level of concentration in the network of relationships, the higher the level of power sharing in the network and the more stakeholders will be influential in decision-making in rural management. According to the results of the index of Reciprocity and transitivity of ties in the second phase of the study compared to the phase before the project in the studied villages has increased. Strengthening bonds of trust and mutual cooperation creates a stable network in which the spirit of trust, cooperation and cooperation is institutionalized among people. Also, this leads to an increase in social capital, and participatory planning in the direction of rural development will be associated with less cost and time. The Geodesic Distance between the two bonds of trust and participation indicates the relatively favorable speed of trust, participation, unity and unity among people, which has continued to decrease after the implementation of the project, which indicates the high speed of circulation of trust and participation among people. Considering the importance of the time and speed of coordinating people in the discussion of collaborative management, strengthening the bond of trust and especially participation in order to increase the speed of circulation of this bond among people and then reduce the time of coordination and unity among the members of micro funds in line with the implementation Community-oriented management is very important.

5. Conclusion

In order to develop sustainable rural development, recognition of obstacles and challenges is needed. Conscious knowledge and use of social capital is an opportunity to build capacity for participation in rural development. In general, in order to succeed in rural development, strengthening social capital through trust and participation and there by increasing social cohesion is needed. The formation of micro fund and rural development groups are among the strategies to increase trust and participation among individuals and increase social capital; So that social capital in the form of local organizations reduces poverty and increases the welfare of the community, which is itself the basis for achieving sustainable rural development.