Measuring the Level of Social Capital of Rural Settlements (Case Study: Hasanabad Dehestan of Islamabad-e-Gharb County)

The purpose was to measure the social capital of rural settlements in Hassan Abad rural district of Islamabad-e Gharb as well as ranking and leveling the villages under study was based on social capital. The study was applied, quantitative, and survey, where documentary study and field research were used for data collection. The documentary method was used in problem statement, theoretical foundations, and the literature. The data were collected from the villages using field research and the questionnaire tool. SPSS software was used in statistical analyses. It is worth mentioning that the field operations were done by direct questioning. The villages examined were categorized into three levels of high, medium, and poor in terms of social capital. Out of 22 villages examined, 9 villages (40.90%) were considered to have high social capital, 5 villages (22.73%) medium, and 8 villages (36.37%) poor social capital. Moreover, Siah Khor Village with 128.44 was in the highest rank whereas Kamar Zard Village with the score of 114.09 was in the lowest rank. In the present study, there were some problems including, scarcity, sometimes the lack of comprehensive information resources, limited access to the resources, scattered villages, the lack of appropriate access routes, low cooperation, and sometimes the lack of cooperation between some organizations and institutions. In sum, one can state that some significant ways to strengthen social capital. They were the presence of local authorities in the villages, holding forum meetings with villagers and presenting performance report to the people, using education and increasing the awareness of villagers about the importance of participation and its role in society, strengthening the norms and values and promoting them. Local planners and institutions associated with the village can use the results.