Despite the plethora of pro-poor policies and programmes, development among different Dalit communities in India has been painfully slow and uneven. This vividly shows, that, besides policies and programmes, effective public action is essential to realise the goals of development among the Dalit communities. Public action among the Dalit communities in Bihar has not been very effective. One possible reason could be the low levels of social capital among the Dalits. Social capital is a vital ingredient for collective action and civic culture. It can offer the historically disadvantaged communities, the opportunities to connect with one another and undertake economic, social and political engagements and thus cultivate civic attitudes. This study has examined the levels of social capital among the Dalit communities and their influence on the rural governance process. It also discusses the ways and means of generating social capital among the Dalit communities.
Martin Poras has several years of teaching, research and social action. Most of the time he worked among the marginalised communities in different parts of Bihar, engaging in non-formal education, women empowerment, panchayatiraj, social animation, and social awareness training programme. He has organised more than 100 training workshops in Social Analysis, Panchayatiraj, Participatory Rural Appraisal etc. Currently he is serving as Vice Principal in St. Xavier's College and St. Xavier's College of Management and Technology, Patna.
In India, despite having abundant pro-poor laws, the situation of the Dalit communities has remained unchanged or showed little improvement. Pro- poor laws cannot themselves initiate actions on behalf of the poor. They need the active participation of the intended beneficiaries. Secondly, in the present context, most of the development programmes and schemes meant for the poor are being implemented through the institutions of rural governance, namely the Panchayati Rai Institutions PRIs. Therefore, Dalit communities' participation in rural governance becomes very crucial for their development. In the past, attempts to involve the poor and marginalised sections of society in the rural-governance process met with little success. Though a number of reasons have been cited for the non-participation of Dalits in rural governance, this study assumes that lack of social capital among Dalit communities is the main reason for their non-participation (Heller, 2001). Marginalised communities in rural areas of India lack connections and networks that provide them with information and other benefits, which are essential for reclaiming spaces in the rural-governance process. Some people argue against the role of social capital in eliciting participation. Peter Gibbon and other Marxist scholars argue that social capital, because of its apolitical nature, alone will not lead to deepening of democracy and development as they fail to motivate people to work towards the collective interest of society (Thorlind, 2000). According to them, only a radically politicised civil society can enhance the performance of democratic institutions. On the contrary the People's Campaign in Kerala proves beyond doubt that social capital has significant influence on people's participation in rural governance.
As discussed in the literature review, social capital has two important components, namely the structural component, which refers to network system, and the cognitive component, which refers the levels of trust, and reciprocity. These two components of social capital work through collective action to have impact on people's development, health, education, housing, etc. So, there exists a close relationship between social capital and social development. Communities with greater social capital have improved their social development index better than those which lacked social capital. Kenneth Arrow argues that "much of the economic and (social) backwardness in the world can be explained by the lack of mutual confidence" (as cited in Hoyman & Faricy, 2009: 317-318). The presence of low social-development index among the Dalit communities in Bihar is an indication of their low social capital. The social resources such as connections, networks of the Dalit communities are fewer compared to those of other communities both at the national level and at the regional level. Looking at this from a historical point of view, Dalits have been excluded from social relations. From the economic point of view, they have been denied access to economic resources such as land, houses, etc. This has considerably hampered their socio-economic and political development. In the absence of adequate economic, social, and political resources at their disposal, 'social capital' is the only 'capital' that Dalits can use to better their economic and political situation (World Bank, 2001). Any effort on the part of the Dalit communities to regain spaces in the rural-governance process calls for the building up of a social capital. The factors responsible for the formation of such social capital among the Dalit communities are; social consciousness, mass political mobilization, socially conscious youths, self-help organizations and mass-based activities (Islam, 2003: 164).
What type of social capital is beneficial for Dalits' participation in governance? The present work adopts an integrated approach. In a diverse context, we need to build structures that promote social cohesion among different groups and communities, which will eventually address the problems of inequality. And the best way to promote social cohesion among diverse sections is to provide a platform for interactions and collaborative actions, using bonding, bridging and linking social capital of different groups and communities. A multiple system of network and action will break Dalits 'dependency and silence. According to Woolcock (1998):
Development outcomes are shaped by the extent to which basic social dilemmas at the micro and macro level are resolved. Positive outcomes are attained to the extent that both embedded and autonomous social relations prevail at both levels.
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