The Role of Social Capital in the Formation and Activation of Civil Society Organisations in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The concept of modern civil society emerged in the 18th century; it was developed by Georg Hegel as a domain parallel to and separate from the state. It is a realm where citizens associate according to their own interests and needs. In his study, Robert Putnam addressed the significant relationship between social capital and civil society. A limited perspective is that civil society is inextricably tied to specific social, financial, and political backgrounds. Typically, this renders it applicable only to Western societies, which is flawed. This study proposes that on the contrary, civil society is a flexible and changeable idea, which carries deep relevance for non- Western societies, despite cultural differences. The purpose of this dissertation is to grasp trends of social capital in Saudi Arabia and to examine the articulation between social capital and civil society. In the context of this project, I argue the significance of social capital and the quality of civic action in collective society. Since Saudi Arabian community regulations are devolved and enforced through the traditional tribal structure, a useful way to understand traditional community structure is through the conceptual view of social capital theory. This is a logical proposition considering that tribal groups reflect a high level of trust, solid social networks, and norms of reciprocity. In my model, these three elements have distinct effects on civic actions. Social networks are conducive to all kinds of civic action. Trust, on the other hand, affects the formation of civil society organisations. Reciprocity, likewise, affects the activation of civil society organisations. Furthermore, it explores how bridging/bonding social capital, interpersonal/institutional trust, and personal and institutional relationships influence the creation and development of Saudi societal organisations. The evaluation of the level of social capital and whether social capital facilitates participation in civil society and shapes the individual’s choice to participate were tested using qualitative and quantitative analyses. Semi-structured interview data from 27 organisations and survey data from 483 individuals measured the processes of social capital creation, accumulation, and utilisation from the perspective of civil society. VI This study makes an empirical contribution in terms of the dimensionality and explanatory power of social capital. The results show that it is appropriate to distinguish between conventional and unconventional social engagement in a collective society. They also show that bonding social capital in Saudi Arabia is a combination of executive groups and relative-based engagements that may negatively affect the growth of civil society, as in Europe and the United States and as forecasted by existing theories. Yet it has positively affected the formation of the locally- defined civil society organisations.