Work

Research on the Role Mechanism and Optimization Path of Social Capital Influencing Rural Governance Effectiveness

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Currently, rural governance is facing the double challenges of social relationship network reconstruction and governance mode transformation, and how to realize the organic connection between traditional governance resources and modern governance system through the cultivation of social capital has become a key proposition to crack the effectiveness of grass-roots governance. It has become a key proposition to break the bottleneck of grassroots governance effectiveness. Based on 481 valid questionnaires and field survey data in rural areas of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, this paper empirically analyzes the role of three dimensions of social capital on the effectiveness of rural governance by using an ordered logistic regression model. The study shows that trust relationship (OR=3.524), norm compliance (OR=26.776), norm participation (OR=2.464), infrastructure (OR=12.438) and digitalization application (OR=5.336) have a significant positive impact on governance effectiveness. The study confirms that villagers' subjective normative awareness and objective institutional safeguards have more explanatory power than structural factors such as the number of organizations and frequency of interaction. Accordingly, a five-dimensional optimization path is proposed: cultivating rural civilization to build a community of trust, establishing a normative enforcement and supervision system to strengthen self-governance constraints, constructing a closed-loop mechanism of "proposal-feedback-rectification", implementing an infrastructure improvement project, and building an all-age-friendly digital governance platform. The study reveals the synergistic effect of the three dimensions of social capital in urban-rural integration scenarios, and provides new ideas for solving the synergistic problem of "traditional kinship network-modern governance system".

Source: Scientific Journal Of Humanities and Social Sciences

DOI: 10.54691/b0q8vg89

Authors: Zhensheng Xu, Junjie Zhong, Zhiyong Wan, Yuan Zheng, Li Wu

Institution: China Jiliang University

Language: English

Topic: Social Capital and Networks

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Zhejiang University