Social capital and agricultural innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa

In this paper we use a novel and extensive dataset to explore the association between different forms of social capital and innovation in agriculture, for a sample of African countries. We find mixed evidence. While structural social capital, especially in the form of connections beyond the village, is associated with more extensive adoption of innovations, the reverse is true for cognitive social capital (capturing shared norms and trust within the local community).

► We link social capital to adoption of agricultural innovation in rural Africa.
► We unbundle social capital and distinguish between different dimensions.
► Structural social capital is generally associated with more agricultural innovation.
► Cognitive social capital is generally associated with less agricultural innovation.
► This association is not consistent across the board and seems context specific.