The mediating effect of civic community on social growth: The importance of reciprocity

•Examines the effects of economic structural change on community social capital.•Population turnover and the in-migration of workers demanded by a rapidly expanding economy enhances the density of weak tie networks within the community.•Activation of weak ties found to be highly dependent upon perceptions of future reciprocity.•Civic and social institutions can mediate the negative community effects of rapid community growth.•Negative impacts such as exclusion and exploitation found when newcomers are not integrated into community.

This paper examines the effects of economic structural change on community social capital. The content of 156 interviews in Southern communities entrenched in the offshore oil economy, were used to investigate the consequences of industrial and civic restructuring on the social structure and social ties among local residents. The central finding is that population turnover and in-migration of workers demanded by a rapidly expanding economy enhances the density of weak tie networks within the community. However, the activation of these weak ties is highly dependent upon perceptions of future reciprocity from newcomers to the community by the entrenched members. Weak ties are important because they serve as a foundation for community members engaging in collective problem solving. Civic and social institutions can mediate the negative effects of rapid community growth shown. When newcomers are not integrated into the community, it may lead to exploitation and exclusion due to stigmatic labels.