Social capital and rural development : the case of Huntingdon, Quebec

This thesis examines the efforts at rural economic restructuring in Huntingdon, a town recently devastated by closure of two major textile mills. More specifically, by analyzing this case through the lens of ABCD and social capital theory, it evaluates the extent to which current initiatives on the part of the municipal govt. and non-governmental organizations integrate local assets and contribute to the development of positive forms of social capital. The research draws on semi-structured interviews with members of the government, members of non-governmental organisations and community members and finds that there are three main challenges impeding the prospects for sustainable rural economic initiatives: the misuse of power by the Mayor, the underdevelopment of bridging networks between government and community groups and the linguistic divide within the community. The thesis concludes with some reflections on the lessons of the Huntingdon case for economic development theory and policy