Bonding, bridging, linking social capital as mutually reinforcing elements in adaptive capacity development to flood hazard: Insights from rural Bangladesh

Abstract

The role of bonding, bridging, and linking social capital is a key factor in the adaptive capacity to climate-related disasters. But what roles do these three forms of social capital play, and how do they interact? This paper responds to this question using evidence from northern Bangladesh’s highly flood-prone Sirajganj District. Qualitative data from 20 village-level Focus Group Discussions accounted for the varying roles and importance of these three forms of social capital and their interactions at different moments in the hazard cycle. Testimonies from FGD participants revealed a narrative in which bonding social capital took priority during flood onset as a means to safeguard persons and property; bridging social capital came into play more prominently during the flood crisis as affected villagers sought coping assistance from friends, neighbours and relatives elsewhere, and linking social capital emerged as a vital contributor to adaptive capacity in flood recovery phases, albeit in interaction with bridging and bonding modes. These findings demonstrate how different forms of social capital mutually reinforce one another over the duration of the hazard cycle, contributing to recent research that has sought to understand better the contribution of social capital to the adaptive capacity in an increasingly climate-stressed world.