Participatory approaches and Social Network Analysis to analyse the emergence of collective action for rural development: a case study in the Spanish Pyrenees

This paper explores the social capital of an emergent beef quality brand in two valleys (Ansó and Hecho) in the Spanish Pyrenees through a combination of participatory approaches (focus groups) and Social Network Analysis. We organised three focus groups with stakeholders from the administration, tourism and commerce, and farming sectors to evaluate the interest for the initiative. In the Social Network Analysis, we surveyed 32 local stakeholders to construct an advisory network, including the surveyed actors and non-surveyed actors that they mentioned, and a trust network, including only the surveyed actors and their trust level in each other. The trust network was analysed using the Louvain’s algorithm to identify potential internal communities and the exponential random graph model (ERGM) to infer the shaping effects of actors’ attributes on the network’s structure. Our results revealed a general interest of the stakeholders in the beef quality brand and a sparse network characterised by a propensity to mutual and open interactions with four clusters based on employment sectors/educational levels and connected by two prominent actors. Therefore, the social capital of the initiative showed both risks because a loss of these few prominent actors could inhibit the network, and opportunities, because their presence, along with the mutual and open interactions, would ensure efficient information exchange. The investigation revealed also two possible limiting factors: the absence of a coordinator and the actors’ unwillingness to assume this role. The results confirmed the efficacy of the methodology used to investigate the social capital of emergent initiatives, but further research should be carried out including stakeholders’ concerns on its economic implications.HIGHLIGHTS Focus groups and Social Network Analysis allowed to explore the social capital of a beef production quality brand initiative. A sparse network with mutual interactions but few central actors emerged. The absence of a coordinator and unwillingness to cover the role are possible limiting factors.