Abstract:
Samurdhi Organization is one of the prominent Community Based Organizations
(CBOs) in Sri Lanka. It was established with the objective of improving the quality
of life of its beneficiaries and one of the ways it is achieved is by ensuring their
Livelihood Success (LS). According to scholars, one way that CBOs achieve LSof
its members is by strengthening their social capital (SC). However, In Sri Lanka,
even though CBOs have been functioning for a considerable period of time, the
existing poverty makes it evident that the members have not achieved LS as
expected. One significant reason for this could be that all the aspects of SC:
networkings, relational and cultural, have not been addressed. Hence, this study
mainly focused on how relational aspect of SC impacts the LS of Samurdhi
Beneficiaries. This study used convergent parallel mixed method and data were
collected from eighty-six beneficiaries selected from Imbulpe DS division in
Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. Quantitative data was collected through structured
questionnaires while qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews.
Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling were used to analyze quantitative
data and qualitative data was analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The
results revealed that relational norms among Samurdhi beneficiaries have a positive
significant impact on LS while interpersonal trust also has positive correlations with
LS of Samurdhi beneficiaries. Thus, relational aspect of social capital positively
contributes to the livelihood success of Samurdhi beneficiaries. The reason for
relational norms to have more influence over trust is that trust develop with factors
such as time and frequency of interaction, while relational norms are socially
enforced and morally bound and depends on their personal value system. Focusing
on these facts, policy makers can yield a productive outcome by taking the maximum
advantage of SC that exists in the community when designing and implementing
initiatives targeting Samurdhi Beneficiaries.
