Assessing community capacity and social capital in rural America: lessons from two rural observatories

This paper reviews the work of two rural observatories: the New Rural Economy project in Canada and the Ventures program in the state of Oregon. These observatories collect data to better understand the assets and liabilities of a selection of rural communities. Both observatories attempt to measure the social capital or capacity of each observed community.After a brief review of the theoretical literature on social capital, community capacity, and development, we draw on publications, reports, and personal communication with the principals of these observatories to review their efforts in measuring social capital and community capacity. Our aim is to look for lessons that can inform the design of a rural observatory to assess community capacity and social capital in rural communities in the United States.