Social Capital 2

Social capital 2

Implementing and Testing U-SCAT
(Urban Social Capital Assessment Tool)

Tatiana Efremenko

This study is the second phase of the project on social capital in Bishkek, where the goal was to test U-SCAT and conduct the survey in 30 neighborhoods in Bishkek. In total, 1168 households took part in the survey, which was conducted by the survey assistants and community leaders. The involvement of community leaders in the survey was proved to be an effective strategy due to the fact that they often have established relations and mutual trust with residents, as well as community leaders generally are interested in improving their neighborhoods. The methodology for site selection and sample size selection has been developed for U-SCAT. The methodology instructions have been included in the U-SCAT package that is available for the use of researchers, students, municipalities and NGOs. As a result of the analysis, seven indexes were constructed - one for overall social capital, and six indexes for each component of the social capital. Social cohesion has the highest score among all components, and civic participation has the lowest. Cognitive social capital (trust, social support, social cohesion) has a considerably higher score than structural social capital (social interaction, collective action, civic participation). This has been revealed as a potential argument for future research to be conducted to identify the underlying factors. Despite the sample of only 30 neighborhoods, this data about social capital and its components in different areas in Bishkek can act as an evidence-based approach to urban interventions.

Keywords: Social capital index, neighborhood, survey methodology, Bishkek

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