Revisiting the Relationship Between Social Capital and Income of Informal Workers: An Empirical Analysis from Hooghly District of West Bengal, India

Social capital is often argued an important non-monetized capital for poor people which can be instrumental for poverty eradication and overall economic development. This paper investigates these claims for informal workers. Based on data from a primary survey in Hooghly district of West Bengal, India, an individual level composite social capital index is calculated considering the structural-relational-cognitive dimensions of social capital. Then OLS method has been used to test the impact of social capital on income with respect to the socioeconomic condition of responders. The findings suggest that the role of social capital to improve income is limited by the poor socioeconomic condition and therefore the optimistic view about the role of social capital in poverty eradication should be treated cautiously.