Capital social: a raiz de jalapa do desenvolvimento regional sustentável

Abstract

For a long time, the concept of development was conditioned and restricted to economic growth. However, in recent decades, there has been a change in perspective with the multiplication of studies on the spatial distribution of development and the debate on the issue of human beings, present and future, as the core of this process: sustainable regional development. Social capital refers to social attributes, such as trust, norms, and systems, which contribute to the efficiency of society and is pointed out by several researchers as one of the possible determinants of disparities in levels of development between regions and a tool for achieving this. In this context, the objective of this dissertation was to verify if the social capital, present in the Jalapão region, can be considered as one of the influencing elements of the current level of development of the municipalities. Therefore, a qualitative study was carried out based on bibliographical research, documentary, and semi-structured interviews with key actors in the region listed in the Ecological and Economic Zoning of the Government of Tocantins. The results show that there is a weakness in social capital in the region, as trust between them has diminished in recent years, as well as their interest in participating in government management and projects, while they themselves are little organized to act collectively. However, the current state of social capital indicators in the region is the result of years of fruitless and poorly guided projects, thus, it is still possible to include and integrate the subjects of the region, expanding their economic and social opportunities.