Summary
This article reflects the theoretical and definitional literature which surrounds adaptation of rural communities to change which arise due to transition to economy based on knowledge. This article discussed and defined the benefits of community assets, community resilience, social capital and community capital by placing these concepts in a bigger framework of entrepreneurial social infrastructure. The socio-economic realities and history of Atlantic-Canadian provinces are woven together for keeping the arguments and literature review as important as possible to the current condition of the region. This paper discusses the factors which are involved in former community’s resilience and conditions which caused latter to falter in their survival. The aim here is to gain valuable insight for support of economic development in Atlantic Canada. Development has civic/social side which involves diverse partnerships, social relations, working together for identification of needs and issues and embracing common solution. There is no obvious or easy way for Atlantic Canadian rural communities looking for diversifying and growing their economies, stabilize populations and acquiring new jobs. Apart from the industrial recruitment’s top-down approaches and requesting for federal support for financial assistance in the election year, the only option for these communities is self development.
Argument
He author has supported his argument with following points:
1. Rural Community: Atlantic Canada is home to high-proportion of small rural communities have failed to keep pace with development in income, productivity, employment and trade. The region is currently experiencing the realities of slow population growth, decline in labor force and rapid population aging.
2. Resilient Community: Resilient communities when face adversity develops physical, material, sociocultural, sociopolitical and psychological resources for anticipating and coping with the dynamic environment. Controlling all conditions does not affect communities; rather a resilient community possesses individual and community capable of responding to change.
3. Community Assets and Community Capital: The social, economic and political dimensions of a community are called the community assets or capital. By keeping focus on capabilities and assets rather on deficiencies and needs, energy gets directed towards opportunities at community level, while remaining aware of the affects of policy environment change in changing the strength of the community capacity to become self-sufficient.
4. Social Capital: Community level social capital is related with levels of participatory behavior and associational development in a community. It is measured with indicators such as newspaper reading, voluntary association membership and trust in political parties.
5. Entrepreneurial Social Infrastructure: ESI has been defined as a set of principles, concepts and indicators of ability a community possesses in addressing its issues and solving them collectively. It also involves use of social capital in pursuing community economic development.
6. Legitimacy of Alternatives: Communities in which diversity is valued ensured individuals from different backgrounds old and young, women and men, different ethnic and racial groups, old-timers and newcomers and different social classes get listened to and have the leadership opportunity. With active integration and interaction across wide section of people, a logical solution is reached for meeting the diverse wants and needs of the community.
7. Mobilization of Resources: Mobilization of resources involves collective risk on community rather than placing risk on specific individuals. It further involves investment from locals through their own private funds into initiatives for self-development.
8. Diverse Networks: Dense, multiple and diverse networks provides access to many ideas and people, contributing to the overall community capacity. Networking is regarded as manifesting social capital with insights to social capital theory which can be found independently in network.
Critique
Any model of economic development which emphasizes social capital is tougher to apply in social setting. One thing which is clearly visible after review of definitional and theoretical literature is that economic development is not just economic. With this I can state that I agree with the author’s point of view regarding rural community development.
1. Rural Community: Atlantic Canada seems like more resource reliant than Central Canada. Communities dependent for resources are depicted as economically unstable and get caught in ongoing drain of diversity and human capital. These communities are more vulnerable to natural disaster and economic risks.
2. Resilient Community: Magis said about resilient communities that their members intentionally develop collective and personal capacity which they mobilize for responding, influencing change, sustain and replenish community and develop trajectories for future of everyone in community (402).
3. Community Assets and Community Capital: People are viewed as vulnerable to using their capital assets to survive and make their livelihoods. Capital assets get used for assessing overall community’s asset base. Approach of sustainable livelihood justifies shift in thinking of community development for resource-centered, need-based solutions for focusing on people and their capacity for initiating and sustaining positive change.
4. Social Capital: In all theories of social interaction it is essential to recognize that collective action needs information flows and networks between groups and individuals to help make decisions. These groups of networks are described as assets of society and individuals within known as social capital (Adger 389).
5. Entrepreneurial Social Infrastructure: Social structures are of three types which encourage rural economy economic development, Firstly, legitimacy of symbolic diversity or alternatives (depersonalization of politics, controversy acceptance and focus on process), Secondly, the Collective and Individual Resource mobilization forming social structures and thirdly, inclusive and diverse networks which have permeable community boundary. These elements assist in conversion of social capital into organizational forms which facilitate collective action.
6. Legitimacy of Alternatives: Communities which accept citizens’ differing perspectives seem to be more likely in having access to broader choices and are more capable to reach consensus than communities rife with intolerance and conflict.
7. Mobilization of Resources: This includes willingness of those who are privileged of possessing resources for investing in community-based projects, citizen willingness for committing local taxes for community betterment and developing innovative mechanisms to channel resources for community endeavors.
8. Diverse Networks: “Those to whom we are weakly tied are more likely to move in circles different from our own and will thus have access to information different from that which we receive” (Woolcock). Different combination of bridging and bonding of social capital allows communities to solve issues of vulnerability and poverty, resolve conflicts and take their changes with opportunities at hand.
Research Question
One of these questions is:
How will small communities which gets shaken by closure of plants or high rate of lay –offs find energy, self-confidence and knowledge for launching new activities for economic endeavors?
Another research question which can be further explored based on this article is:
Can federal government help these communities and choose which communities possess the capacity for launching new economic phase and which are bound for failure?
Also, how can Federal government apart from flexing their financial muscle help these communities to diversify and grow?
Conclusion
There is no easy way or answers for rural communities based in Atlantic Canada which are looking for diversification and growing their economies, stabilize their population base, attract investors and acquire new jobs. Due to this study some important questions arise for the economic betterment of Atlantic Canada. At present, the only solution they have is federal government assistance through financial assistance which they usually get in election year and industrial recruitment top-down approaches, leaving self-development as the only way projects in these communities can grow.
Works Cited
Woolcock, S. “The place of social capital in understanding social and economic outcomes”.
Paris: OECD Innovation Research Working Paper. OECD. (1998). Web. 2014
Adger, W. N. "Social Capital, Collective Action, and Adaptation to Climate Change."
Economic Geography 79.4 (2009): 387-404. Print.
Magis, Kristen. "Community Resilience: An Indicator of Social Sustainability." Society &
Natural Resources 23 (2010): 401-416. Print.
