SOCIAL CAPITAL AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

It is true that Government have invested heavily in building local and regional entrepreneurial networks in order to improve economic performance and regeneration. However, the importance attached to the Social capital as a solution to social interaction provides for an examination of its relevance to improve entrepreneurial activities in Niger State. This study explores the relations between Social Capital and Entrepreneurship. Using a set of household data generated from the administration of structured questionnaires to 519 households in Niger State, using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) analysis, this paper examines the relationship between the Social Capital indicators, i.e. Trust (generalized and institutional); Associational activities (passive and active membership); Civic norms, and Entrepreneurship (proxy by self-employment), in Niger State, Nigeria. The results obtained indicate that there is positive relationship between Social Capital and Entrepreneurship in the study area, thus, fulfilling our a- priori expectation that the more Social Capital building with the people in the study area, the more the improvement of Entrepreneurial activities in the study area. The result notwithstanding, policy measures that would continue to make Social capital relevant to Entrepreneurship development were suggested.