Social capital 1
Developing Methodology to Measure Social Capital in Urban Communities in Kyrgyzstan
Tatiana Efremenko
Tatiana Efremenko
A review of the social capital literature revealed many ways to measure social capital, as well proved that there is no agreed-upon best method or any single instrument that captures all aspects of social capital. As social capital plays a vital role in our cities, there is a need to develop a reliable tool to measure it and produce an index to allow comparisons between areas. Urban Social Capital Assessment Tool (U-SCAT) was developed based on the A-SCAT methodology with some survey questions taken from other methodologies, but significantly modified and adapted to the cultural context of Kyrgyzstan. The pilot study was conducted in the Archa-Beshik neighborhood, as well as two neighborhoods in Bishkek via online forms. Study participants included 7 residents of different neighborhoods in Bishkek city for cognitive interviews, as well as 32 participants in the Archa-Beshik neighborhood, and 28 respondents in the online survey. The expert interviews were conducted with 11 practitioners, researchers and founders of the existing methodologies. The 17-item tool has demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha α=0.91). Also, seven questions on demographic data are provided to allow descriptive analysis for researchers and practitioners. U-SCAT is a psychometrically valid and reliable tool to measure social capital in urban communities in Kyrgyzstan. It has the potential to be employed by policymakers, researchers and government institutions, as well as it is ready for large scale testing and validation.
Keywords: neighborhood social capital, community, index development, Kyrgyzstan
Keywords: neighborhood social capital, community, index development, Kyrgyzstan
