Self-Help Groups, Savings and Social Capital : Evidence from a Field Experiment in Cambodia

Ban, Radu ; Gilligan, Michael J. ; Rieger, Matthias

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: social capital;    poverty;    savings;    self-help groups;    field experiments;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-7382
RP-ID  :  WPS7382

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper studies how self-helpgroups—village-based organizations designed to encouragesavings, household production and social cohesion among thepoor—can promote economic and social capital. The paper usessurvey data and a wide array of social capital measures toassess the impact of a pilot program that was randomlyrolled out in rural villages in Cambodia. The study findsthat the program encouraged savings and associations viaself-help groups. However it did not improve social capitalmeasured by household and network surveys and lab activitiesthat gauge trust, trustworthiness and the willingness tocontribute to public goods. The findings contradict recentwork that has found significant positive impacts of suchgroups on social capital. This paper evaluatescommunity-wide impacts while most previous studies focus onprogram participants. In addition, the empirical strategy isbased on a broader array of social capital measures,including behavioral indicators, suggesting that findingimpacts of such programs on social capital is sensitive tothe measurement strategy.