Social Capital and its Influence on Community Resilience and Local Governance Capacity

The aim of this study was to conceptualize social capital as a tool for developing rural community resilience through digitalization tools. To achieve the aim of the study, a case study was conducted based on successful project experiences in India, Brazil, Poland, Spain and Sweden. As a result of the study, five successful practices are identified, which are based on five different approaches to interpret the impact of social capital on community sustainability in rural areas. The analysis determines that the amount of social networks together with digital tools promotes proactive resilience. Reactive resilience can be promoted by slow change of social capital together with digital technologies. Adaptive resilience in rural communities requires a practical emphasis on the diversity of social networks, balancing capitals or contributions from formal organizations and partners. The findings have practical value, as the approaches identified can contribute to understanding how to increase the resilience of rural communities in the context of the interaction between digitalization and social capital.