Desarrollo, Territorio y Capital Social. Un análisis a partir de dinámicas relacionales en el desarrollo rural

While it seems widely accepted the idea that social networks are a major source of social capital, it draws the attention the scarcity of studies using Social Network Analysis (ARS) for further analysis and measurement of social capital. This is especially significant when you consider the huge number of publications existing on this concept. The purpose of this paper is to carry out an approximation to the potential of social network analysis (ARS) to analyze the presence and forms of capital, specifically in the context of rural development groups (Leader Groups) and its additional value as a complement for other techniques of analysis. The LEADER partnerships are, by the way they are conceived, environments in which the social relations are a strategic element designing and consolidating dynamics of development. In turn, an environment of intense and close social relationships can translate into a high level of social capital within the partnership. However, we want to know the weight of these networks in the explanation of existing social capital and the extent to which ARS can throw light on the matter. In this paper we present the results and insights from the study of one of the LEADER groups in the province of Valencia in Spain in the period 1996-2006. We have explored different forms of social capital generated within the analyzed Local Action Group (LAG). For this purpose a set of measures of ARS to measure social capital were used (Borgatti, S. , Everett, M. and Freeman, L. , 2002).