Explain the term social capital. How does it enhance good governance?

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Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Social capital is the trust, norms and networks that let people cooperate, and it enhances good governance by deepening participation, accountability, voluntary compliance and crisis response. The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan's public hearings in Rajasthan paved the way for the RTI Act, 2005.

**Introduction**

Robert Putnam, in Making Democracy Work (1993), defined social capital as the trust, norms and networks that let people cooperate for mutual benefit, and traced the better performance of northern Italy's regional governments to it. Like physical capital, it yields returns in the form of collective action.

**Understanding Social Capital**

1. **Three forms**: Bonding capital ties close groups such as kin and caste, bridging capital links diverse groups, and linking capital connects citizens to institutions.
2. **A public good**: It grows with use, so a village that has run one successful self-help group finds the next collective task easier.
3. **A double edge**: Bonding without bridging can exclude, as khap diktats on marriage show, which Shakti Vahini v Union of India (2018) checked.

**How Social Capital Enhances Good Governance**

SKETCH: flow-cycle | Social Capital and Governance
- Trust and networks
- Collective action
- Participation and scrutiny
- Responsive governance
- Higher public trust

1. **Participation**: Kerala's Kudumbashree neighbourhood groups, active since 1998, help prepare local plans, giving gram sabhas real voice.
2. **Accountability and transparency**: The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan's public hearings in Rajasthan exposed muster-roll fraud and paved the way for the RTI Act, 2005.
3. **Rule of law at lower cost**: Trust makes compliance voluntary; Indore's top Swachh Survekshan rankings since 2017 rest on households segregating waste.
4. **Effective crisis delivery**: Kerala's fishermen rescued thousands in the 2018 floods, and DAY-NRLM self-help groups stitched masks in 2020.

**Conclusion**

Social capital and good governance reinforce each other: trust makes governance participatory and accountable, and fair governance deepens trust. Investing in bridging networks, from self-help groups to active gram sabhas, builds the foundation of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas.

Explain the term social capital. How does it enhance good governance?

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