Putting social capital in context: A critical examination of social capital and the sustainability of Australian rural communities

Australian rural communities face a range of social, economic and demographic challenges, including (but not limited to): a loss of community cohesion; declining economic viability of many agricultural commodity sectors, as well as the towns that serve these sectors; and, inter alia, accelerated ageing and associated processes of rural youth net migration loss. Yet the extent and nature of these problems varies from region to region, depending upon relative location in the urban and regional hierarchy, local and regional population density, and land use orientation. Drawing upon a three year Australian Research Council-funded project conducted across rural south-eastern Australia, this paper explores the dynamic interrelationships between population density, social interaction patterns and 'social capital' (measured through the proxies of community organisation membership and participation rates, community satisfaction) in eight rural communities located in contrasting zones of Australia's 'multifunctional countryside'. The paper finds that while declining population densities can open up space for more local community members to become involved in the practice of maintaining vital community functions, it is also the case that in communities of low density and high rates of density decline there is obvious dissatisfaction with declining educational and economic opportunities, and in the increasingly concentrated burden of community responsibility. In higher density communities, the intense competition for land (mainly for consumptionist uses) threatens social cohesion. In these contexts, the concept of social capital is argued to be a necessary but not sufficient condition for the social sustainability of rural communities.