Possibilities for social capital development in Zemgale. Resume of the Ph. D. Paper for the scientific degree of Dr. oec.
2007
Pelse, M.,Latvia Univ. of Agriculture, Jelgava (Latvia). Faculty of Economics
People or the society at large are characterised not only by materially tangible things which are used to satisfy human needs, but also the way these material resources are acquired and applied. It is common to evaluate different economic statistical data when analysing business development or territorial development, however, neither human interrelations and trust nor their role in this process are taken into consideration. In Latvian rural areas, including Zemgale, a situation that both material and social preconditions for starting agricultural business were equal for many individuals when they established their farms in the period after Latvia regained its independence was observed. A part of these farms now are modern and profitable, however, the other part does not perform efficiently or they are not engaged in agricultural production. This is a problem to be studied in the present Ph.D. Paper. The aim of the Ph.D. Paper is to assess social capital as a factor impacting the growth of farms and the region and to determine possibilities for its development. Chapter 1 includes a theoretical overview of the topic, and the historical background of the concept of social capital was studied. This chapter expands a discussion among several authors working on the concept of social capital and indicators for assessing it. Under the classification of economic resources, social capital and human capital are regarded as human resources and take an equal position along with natural, financial and non-financial types of capital. In Chapter 2, social capital is analysed as a factor of regional development, and such important elements in regional development as individual's regional identity, individuality or authority were outlined, as well as social capital as a factor fostering entrepreneurship in regions was analysed. The following two chapters present the results of two surveys conducted among Zemgale region farmers. In Chapter 3, social capital indicators and their impact on the development of farms are researched. But Chapter 4, the existence of social capital of different levels and the investments that depend on it in the respective regional spatial area are investigated. The survey results showed that the participation of farmers in nongovernmental organisations related to their professional occupation, as well as in cooperatives, had been of great importance for the development of farms in Zemgale.
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