Social Capital, Adaptation, and Climate Change

Arun AgrawalNicolas Perrin

Why focus on social Capital• Plans vs. Surprises: to build resilience in the

face of climate surprises. Drawing from basic ecological theory– social capital boosts autonomous and flexible

adaptive responses– Attention to multiple actors increases system

functional diversity – Actions by multiple actors increases system

response diversity

Why focus on social capital?

• Hard vs. Soft: Social capital critical to soft adaptation responses– typically less costly, – more comprehensive; – requires local buy-in

Forms of social capital and their role in development

--Ties and networks(Bonding/Bridging)

--Institutions and Organizations(Inclusive/Exclusionary)

Forms of social capital and their role in development

Ties and networks(Bonding/Bridging)

Forms of social capital and their role in development

Institutions and Organizations(Inclusive/Exclusionary)

Forms of Adaptation

Planned Autonomous

Anticipatory Development of new technologies

Agricultural/occupational diversification

Reactive Disaster relief Post-disaster migration

Social CapitalRelevant togenerating

Social CapitalRelevant tofacilitating

Forms of autonomous adaptationDifferent risks correlate with different forms of autonomous adaptation

Risks across spaceRisks over time

Risks across asset classes

Risks across households

Market Exchange

Mobility

Storage

Diversification

Communal Pooling

Forms of social capital and their role in development

Spatial Distribution: Local vs Dispersed

Impact of different combinations of social capital on ability to adapt

Types of Risks/Adaptation

Types of Social Capital

Mobility Storage/Pooling/

Diversification

Market Exchange

Dispersed ties, inclusive instns.

High Medium High

Dispersed ties, exclusionary instns.

Medium Low Medium

Local ties, inclusive instns.

Low High Medium

Local ties, exclusionary instns.

Low Medium Low

Two examples

Rural-urban migrants

Small farmers threatened by climate change

Conclusion: Social Capital, Adaptation, and Adaptive Policies

• Adaptive Policies –Interactive decision-making and learning –In-built adjustment mechanisms– Autonomous responses–Encourage self-organization and networks–Include review mechanisms–Promote diversity rather than consistency