農村発展における社会的ネットワークの役割に関する一考察

―東部ジャワR村の事例に基づいて―

抄録

As a basic study of rural development, this paper states interrelationships between social network and rural economy, taking the case of R village in East Java. R village has become involved in “Pembangunan Ekonomi” (economic development), especially in the agricultural aspect.
Social network is not a social group. It can be observed as patterned social relations only from the social perspective of each individual. Social network seems in general to be active in rural socity of the Third World, and seeing its characteristics, it is conceivable that the social network might be a mechanism of rural society which facilitates the adaptations to a changing environment.
These points are observed in R village:
(1). It is fully fallacious to think of R village as a closed community which consists of various corporate groups. Rather the social organization of R village could be appropriately regarded as interlocking amd ramifying neighboring ties, i. e., social network among neighbors.
(2). The rural economy is characterized by the fractionalized activities and various means of living. And a delicate web of “transactions” is formed among these activities.
(3). Situationally assuming a property differential, that web is almost undoubtedly developed on the social network as operating system.
It necessarily follows that the social network among neighbors play such an important role that the gap between “haves” and “have-nots” is bridged to some extent. This means that, through the social network, the individual gain of “successful men” would be transmitted, at least in part, to the men whom the economic development has “left behind.”
In substance, R village lacks the social ideology that the ecomomic disparity should be eliminated. But it must have different type of social order. Social network, which brings that social order into real life, could be a key factor for rural development.