Do Conflicts Influence the Accumulation of Bonding, Bridging, and Linking Social Capital? Insights From Cameroon

Social capital is known to influence livelihoods, but how this operates in conflict situations is relatively under-researched. Leaning on the social capital theory, we investigate the association between conflict and the dynamics of bonding, bridging and linking social capital in the neglected “Anglophone” conflict between a separatist movement and the government of Cameroon, which impacts livelihoods and social relations. Using data generated through mixed methods, the study explores Granovetter's concept on the strength of weak ties in a conflict context. Results reveal an overall negative causal link between conflict and social capital accumulation with significant changes in membership in social networks. Bonding social capital was comparatively less affected, while bridging and linking social capital were observed to have deteriorated. The argument is that degraded bridging and linking social capital are destructive of social relations and livelihoods, and linking social capital does not constitute strength in weak ties.