Strengthening rural families : an exploration of industry transformation, community and social capital

To what extent does social organisation and local 'culture' have a bearing on social outcomes in rural communities? This project adopts a social capital perspective in examining how rural families adjust to changes in the social and economic landscape. It seeks to understand how rural families participate in the accumulation and utilisation of social capital within their communities to bring about balance between paid work, community commitments and family life. The social responses observed highlight the importance of local initiative and control of the processes required to amass social capital. They have implications for agencies seeking to promote or implement social capital creation policies in rural communities.