The project class: making and breaking social capital in rural development

1. The project class: making and breaking social capital in rural development Katalin Füzér Assistant Professor of Sociology

2. Project proliferation in the EU New form of redistributing money and power Acces to publicfunds via projects Massive transformation of public administration from traditional bureaucratic hierarchies to networked participants in short-term sets of activities operating under a strict budget Fields: development policy on EU, national, regional and local levels (differences b/ rural and urban terrains) universities, educational sector professional assistance services to traditional bureaucracies

3. New social class – the project class • Social, political function: mediation • Shares power with political and economic elites • Recruitment from various professions • project class skills and attributes: • (project) English competence • management skills • IT skills • networking skills • flexibility of time use in work • flexibility of lifestyle

4. Theoretical framework: social capital • Both a sociological theory as well as a more and more powerful policy concept • Dimensions: networks, trust, social norms • Three types of social capital: bonding, bridging, linking • Examples of the dark side of social capital: domestic violance, corruption • Implications of project proliferation and the rise of the project class on social capital

5. Models of making and breaking social capital in rural development • EU ideal of development (w/ some community building and/or community planning) • Beneficiarism (w/out community building, passive beneficiary positions reinforced) • Clientalism (w/out community building, selective reinforcement of linking social capital) • Annexation (expansion of (local) political and economic elites)

6. Questions, comments are welcome at fuzer.katalin@pte.hu