Social Capital, Social Agency and Sustainability

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Social Capital, Social Agency and Sustainability
Chris Ling Ann Dale Canada Research Chair in
Sustainable Community Development Royal Roads
University
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Social capital?
The set of norms, networks, and organizations
through which people gain access to power and
resources, and through which decision-making and
policy formation occur (Grootaert,
1998) Grootaert, C. 1998. Social Capital The
Missing Link? Social Capital Initiative Working
Paper No. 3. Washington, DC World Bank.
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Social capital?

• Reciprocity
• Trust
• Networks

• Bonding
• Strong
• Weak
• Bridging

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Measuring Social Capital
What are the social parameters that impact social
capital?
Onyx, J. and Bullen, P, 2000
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Measuring Social Capital

• What doesnt seem to be important
• Political position and faith in federal
  Government
• Contractual arrangements (general trust is much
  more significant)
• The position of the individual without
  consideration of the social context.

Onyx, J. and Bullen, P, 2000
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Measuring Social Capital

• What is important
• Participation involvement in community
  activities
• Trust and Safety do people trust their
  neighbours, do they feel safe on their streets?
• Connections Neighbourhoods (casual contacts),
  Families and Friends (more intimate contacts),
  Work (feeling part of a team)
• Tolerance of Diversity a feeling that variety
  enhances rather than detract from life
• Value of Life Am I valued by my community?

Onyx, J. and Bullen, P, 2000
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Measuring Social Capital

• AND MOST IMPORTANT
• Social Agency a sense of personal and
  collective efficacy
• I and my community CAN make a difference

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Social Agency key questions

• Are agency, social capital and sustainable
  community development related to each other?
• Can agency be measured?
• Are there key actors or connectors who facilitate
  bridging and networking?
• How do they perceive their role in the network?
• What are the patterns of leadership and are they
  critical to bridging and vertical capital?
• Does membership in overlapping networks give
  greater agency to a community?

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How are Canadian communities doing?
Survey examining the connections between
liveability, social capital, agency and
sustainable communities
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Who is answering our survey?
Broad age range
Gender bias towards women
15-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 gt55
Higher than average education
High Post-high Degree Post-grad
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Who is answering our survey?
Total approx 2500 respondents
Higher than average income
Huge geographic spread every corner of Canada,
all provinces, all major centers
Fair split between urban and rural
Rural Semi-rural Suburban Urban
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Are our communities accessible?
Bicycle
Walk
Public Transit
N/A
lt 15 mins.
to 1 hr.
3 hrs.
gt 3 hrs.
2 hrs.
N/A
lt 15 mins.
to 1 hr.
3 hrs.
gt 3 hrs.
2 hrs.
Carpool
Drive
N/A
lt 15 mins.
to 1 hr.
3 hrs.
gt 3 hrs.
2 hrs.
People will walk if they can
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Are our communities accessible?
Locations Walked at Least Once/Week
Percent
Multiple choices permitted
Response
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Are our communities accessible?
Locations Walked at Least Once/Week
Rural POs vital part of the social
infrastructure
Percent
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Are our communities accessible?
Locations we have access to in our community
Percent
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Are our communities accessible?
Accessibility of Public Transit
Polarised opinions transit is either good or bad
31.1
25.5
16.3
Frequency
13.5
7.6
1.6
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Dont Know
Response
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Are our communities safe?
Perceived Safety of Neighbourhood
54.7
31.9
Frequency
7.8
3.4
0.4
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Response
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Are our communities safe?
Generally yes but less so the more urban you are
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Are our communities safe?
Main Safety Concerns
Percent
Response
Reality divorced from perception crime,
especially violent crime is decreasing
potential for problems from pollution and traffic
accidents is increasing and higher than crime
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Sense of belonging - trust and networks?
volunteer
services
litter
help
trust
connected
Feeling connected
Feeling connected
Trust in service and infrastructure
Pick up litter
Helping others helping yourself
Most people can be trusted
Aware of volunteer opportunities
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Do we feel part of our communities?
Generally yes but less so the more urban you are
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Do you trust your services and infrastructure?
Generally yes Canadian communities have a high
level of trust
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Do you trust other people?
Generally yes Canadian communities have a high
level of trust
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Social networks?
People are engaged socially but not necessarily
formally
Social engagements
Organised sports
0 1 2-3 3-5 gt5
Often Sometimes Rarely Never
Organised religion
We are sociable creatures, but religion
increasingly not important for developing them
Often Sometimes Rarely Never
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Social networks?
How often do you run into friends whilst shopping?
Often Sometimes Rarely Never
The limited services of rural areas mean casual
acquaintance is more common is this linked to
trust and safety?
Often Sometimes Rarely Never
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Value and belonging
It is family and friends that people turn to
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Value and belonging
But in general people feel valued by colleagues
as well not so much by neighbours
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Action!
Have you ever initiated a community-based
response to an emerging issue in
your neighbourhood?
Have you taken part in a Community project in
the last three years?
Canadians are engaged in their communities to a
high degree -
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Action!
Involvement in collective action, e.g. writing a
letter of protest, march or demonstration?
Often Sometimes Rarely Never
Often Sometimes Rarely Never
But perhaps more so in rural areas?
Often Sometimes Rarely Never
Often Sometimes Rarely Never
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How are Canadian communities doing?
Survey examining the connections between
liveability, social capital, agency and
sustainable communities
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Case studies

• Community response to watershed logging Salt
  spring Island
• United We Can Downtown Eastside Vancouver

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Salt Spring Island
Residents of Salt Spring Island acted to protect
an area of forest watershed that was being clear
cut by a small private logging company.
Aerial photo, Mt. Tuam, July 2000. Photo Osman
Phillips
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Salt Spring Island
Social Capital
Photo from the Salt Spring Women Preserve and
Protect' calendar 2001

• Many groups linked together combination of weak
  and strong bonds.
• Some key individuals (leaders) bringing groups
  together bridging.

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Salt Spring Island
Social Agency

• Variety of tactics reflecting different groups
• Raised publicity
• Gained support of more formal organisations from
  elsewhere
• Resulted in increased capacity for the community
  to act

www.amnestyusa.org
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Salt Spring Island
Sustainable Community Development

• 665 ha of land purchased
• Watershed and rare ecosystem protection
• Protection of natural and cultural capital

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United We Can Downtown Eastside Vancouver
In 5 years a group of binners developed a 1.6
million pa revenue recycling business. Employing
33 full-time previously unemployed people and has
contact with 700-750 street people a day
Photo United We Can
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United We Can Downtown Eastside Vancouver
Social Capital

• Key individuals with strong social bonds came
  together to start the creation of a network.
• The bridging capital between the strong network
  and the wider population leads to the success.
• Social capital allowed the leverage and
  exploitation of municipal and provincial
  resources and grants

Ken Lyotier CEO United we Can
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United We Can Downtown Eastside Vancouver
Social Agency

• Formalized previously existing activity
• Community led and driven
• Strong belief in the possibility of change

Ken Lyotier CEO United we Can
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United We Can Downtown Eastside Vancouver
Sustainable Community Development

• 50,000 bottles a day are recycled that would
  otherwise be land filled
• Giving hundreds of marginalized people a
  legitimate economic outlet

• Provides a network, sense of community and safe
  environment for personal recovery of mental and
  physical well-being

Photo United We Can
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How are Canadian communities doing?
Survey examining the connections between
liveability, social capital, agency and
sustainable communities