What is the impact of LEADER on the local social resources? Some insights on Local Action Group’s aggregative role

Abstract

The Local Action Groups (LAGs) are supposed to contribute to the local development process through the enhancement of the territorial social capital. Stressing their aggregative role, the objective of this work is twofold: to find empirical evidence that LAGs’ operation can foster the social capital of the local partnerships, and to contribute to the methodological advancement in detecting social capital. The relational computational system here presented detects the contribution of LAGs on logical basis by comparing the relations actually existing and the relations created independently of the LAGs’ operation. The analysis reveals that the LAGs modified the morphology of their networks fostering the connectivity of their members and exalting the role of some actors as bridges among different polarities.