Timber access in the Indian Himalaya: Rethinking social capital in public policy

Timber access in Himalaya Pradesh (India) is formally regulated by state policy. However, actual access is determined through a complex network of informal social relations developed and maintained over time, which form a critical resource that allows particular forms of capital accumulation. This essay shows that the nature of policy execution in India necessitates the development and use of this type of social capital. However,existing social hierarchies compartmentalise social space and create differential opportunities for social agents to establish and nurture such networks. While supporting critiques of currently popular understandings of social capital that draw on Putnam and Cleman, this essay makes a case for the relevance of Boundieu's conception of social capital in understanding the process of social differentiation.