Social Capital, Covid-19 and Regional Development. Commentaries on A Relevant Relationship

Abstract

Social capital is known for having positive effects on development, by allowing all members of society to realize more easily their productive activities; however, upon occasion it can also have negative effects. Apparently, the Covid-19 pandemic generates negative effects through the higher social interaction associated with higher levels of social capital, which, in turn, causes higher contagion levels and diseases derived from the virus. However, positive effects derived from other components of social capital such as the identification with social values, mutual trust and cooperation could help to overcome the negative effects. Also, development is associated with higher levels of social wellbeing; yet, at the same time, it generates higher degrees of social interdependence and interaction, which mean higher possibilities of incidence of the pandemic. With the help of correlation analysis applied to data from the states of the United States of America and of Mexico, this paper shows that, regions with better development conditions and social capital might be the hardest-hit by the pandemic in the short run, but they are in better conditions to fight the pandemic and to recuperate from its negative effects than those where people live in disadvantage.