Private Provision of a Public Good : Social Capital and Solid Waste Management in Dhaka, Bangladesh
The authors try to identify the determinants of private, community-based provision of a public good - in this case, trash collection. Using survey data for Dhaka, Bangladesh, where some neighborhoods have successfully organized an alternative to the municipal trash collection service, they examine why some communities or neighborhoods display such initiative, while others do not. Their results show that social capital - trust, reciprocity, and sharing - is an important determinant of whether alternative systems arise in Dhaka. More generally, public-private partnerships, or self-help schemes appear more likely to succeed in neighborhoods high in social capital. Other measures of homogeneity of interests are also important. So, interestingly, is the nature of associational activity. Finally, education levels are strongly, and robustly associated with the existence of collective action for trash disposal. How can policymakers encourage such activity? The process through which community residents start cooperating for the common good, is a function of the strength of their relationships. Government attempts to initiate the process, are therefore unlikely to boost social capital directly, but by lowering information, and transaction costs, they may facilitate a virtuous cycle of successful cooperation, and strengthening social ties.
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Bibliographic Details
| Main Authors: |
Pargal, Sheoli,
Gilligan, Daniel,
Huq, Mainul |
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| Format: | Publications & Research
biblioteca
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| Language: | en_US |
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| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2000-08
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| Subjects: | average level,
benefit analysis,
case studies,
civic networks,
common property resources,
communities,
community facilities,
community members,
data collection,
data set,
decision making,
democratic societies,
Development Policy,
economic benefits,
economic development,
economic growth,
economic outcomes,
economic performance,
economic theories,
economic value,
endogenous variables,
equations,
exogenous variables,
expected impact,
externalities,
Financial support,
fixed costs,
health committees,
horizontal associations,
household characteristics,
household level,
Household scores,
household size,
Household social capital,
housing,
human capital,
human capital development,
income,
income generation,
income levels,
individual level,
Maximum likelihood estimation,
neighborhood,
neighborhood leaders,
neighborhoods,
per capita income,
physical capital,
POLICY RESEARCH,
politicians,
positive externalities,
public good,
public services,
quantitative analysis,
reciprocity,
sample selection,
sanitary conditions,
SCI,
social capital,
Social Capital Initiative,
social cohesion,
social interaction,
Social networks,
social norms,
social organizations,
social relationships,
social services,
sports clubs,
waste,
weighting scheme, |
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10986/21478
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