Investigating the role of social capital on the performance of rural cooperatives in Fars province

Purpose: The purpose of this applied research is to investigate the role of social capital on the performance of rural cooperatives in Fars province. Methodology: The statistical population of the present study consists of members of 173 active rural cooperatives in Fars province (295,367 people). Considering the geographical size of the province and the large size of the statistical population, 384 people were selected as a statistical sample using Cochran's formula. A simple random sampling method was used to distribute the questionnaires among the samples. The main tool for collecting field data was the researcher-made questionnaire, whose validity and reliability have been confirmed by observing the principles of field research methods. Findings and conclusions: The results of the research showed that the general state of social capital among the members of rural cooperatives in Fars province (including the dimensions of trust, cohesion, awareness and social participation) is at an acceptable level (above average); However, the members' satisfaction with the performance of rural cooperatives in terms of managerial, social, economic, general performance and laws and regulations is at an average level. Based on the results, social capital indicators had a significant effect on the performance of rural cooperatives. Originality: The discussion of the performance of managers in the five sections in question was one of the main cases studied in this research, therefore, the innovation that took place in it was that the performance was examined through the survey of the members of the cooperatives.