Role of Social Capital in Reducing Rural Poverty in Bangladesh

Abstract

The dimensions of social capital and poverty reduction indices are greatly interconnected. The relationship between the core components of social capital and poverty shows the ways to the improvement of rural well-being in the long run. The study assesses the role of social capital in poverty reduction with a particular focus on rural households of Gaibandha, Bangladesh. The study examines the nexus between social capital and poverty reduction. This study has followed the mix-method approach (survey and case studies), where quantitative and qualitative data have been used to analyze the issues responsible for the level of social capital that enables poor people to reap the benefit of social networks. The people who were associated with Social Safety Net Programmes (SSNPs) have been considered as the respondents of this study. Both primary and secondary data were used to achieve the objectives of the research. The results demonstrate that social capital has a substantial role in reducing poverty since it facilitates rural people to get involved in SSNPs; and through this, it helps the poor people to expedite teamwork, create trust and networks, and increase information accessibility and cooperation. The research explores social capital dimensions have a significant impact on poverty indices in tandem, which boost job opportunities, improve living standard, build trust and relationship among the members of the community, ease access to credit, enhance food security, nutrition and health, and accelerate income generating activities.