SOCIAL CAPITAL AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: ANALYZING THE ROLE OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL INSTITUTIONS IN DEVELOPMENT OF GOJALI COMMUNITY, GILGIT-BALTISTAN, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Social capital is a relational infrastructure where people are connected in nested relationships at family, neighborhood and community level. Relations matter in building trust, cooperation, social solidarity collective actions, reciprocity, norms, values and empowerment. The study of the wakhi community in Gojal reveals that communities works in close collaboration with different organizations and institutions that results not only in success of development activities but also help the communities to build the new relationships at the intra village and community level forming the networks of different association for potential opportunities. Community jammat system works as a social and religious institution bonding communities at village level and bridging the members of the similar and different community through their comprehensive council institutions. Abundance of community social gatherings, spaces for interaction (houses, village organizations and jammat khana), diverse community leadership, informal networks and links in the community, community discussions and sharing, shared faith, shared interests as well as shared history works as glue to increase the social capital resulting in improved quality of life of these communities.