Social Capital, Collective Action, and Collaboration

Abstract

The formation and sustainability of collaborative governance requires organizational actors to overcome the collective action problem, defined as the tendency to exploit common-pool resources in the absence of norms and rules developed by actors to govern the use of natural resources. Collaboration is a term referring to a process of “diverse stakeholders working together to resolve shared dilemmas” (Heikkila & Gerlak, 2005, p. 583). It is related to a second generation of collective action theories challenging earlier assumptions that resolution of the collective action dilemma requires top-down regulation. That research addresses the question of social motivation and the importance of trust and trustworthiness-key elements of social capital (Ahn & Ostrom, 2008.) Our purpose in this chapter is to examine social capital theory in the context of common pool resource (CPR) institutions dealing with the management of natural resources. According to Pierre Bourdieu, there are three types of capital: economic, cultural, and social (Bourdieu, 1986). Social capital is value based on networks and relationships, and allows informal cooperation and collaboration (Bourdieu 1986); and cooperation among groups with strong social networks that allows stakeholders to work toward a common goal (Raymond, 2006; Morris, Gibson, Leavitt, & Jones, 2013). Social capital is similar to trust and reciprocity in CPR institutions in the sense that it is tied to preexisting social networks, and in that it encourages and supports repeated engagement between institutional members. Collective action becomes a necessary component of any situation in which the tasks are of a significant size and require individuals to commit resources toward an outcome, while at the same time struggling with the temptation to break apart and tackle individual interests (Ostrom, 2005). Public actions, whether in government or nonprofit agencies, or as part of voluntary community management, are dependent on trust built through ongoing, repeated, and successful interactions. Each successful engagement creates social capital and provides a foundation for future participation, negotiation, and exchange.