PhD Study : Social Capital and Trust in Rural and Agri-Food Business Networks

Summary

Networks of business support for agriculture and rural affairs have undergone substantive change since the 1990s.  The important role of institutional or business support actors in building the networking capacities of rural economic actors and communities through legitimacy and established relationships has been noted.  Business advice for rural and agricultural clients takes various forms and is now offered via a range of bodies and agencies. Policymaking for rural areas has very much embraced the network model of development and business support with programmes such as LEADER, EIP Operational Groups and specific measures of the Rural Development Programme designed to encourage collective action to solve joint problems and grow the social capital of rural communities.

Although several studies have examined relationship development between advisory support services and their clients in rural areas to date these have tended to focus on one-to-one advice between advisors and their clients. Therefore, there is a need to develop understanding of how social capital and trust evolve in group-based support programmes. The importance of social networks to the success of small, rural firms has been highlighted in both research and policy. Social networks help rural organisations overcome disadvantages of location and size. Indeed, informal networks have been deemed to be stronger and more important in rural than urban areas.  Social capital is considered a valuable organisational asset emerging from social networking and is deemed to be extremely important for knowledge exchange and the development of external knowledge capacities in rural areas.

Social capital facilitates the development and sharing of tacit knowledge and plays a crucial role in collaborations between firms and business support providers.   Strong personal relations and networks are essential to the development of social capital which in turn leads to trust. Trust is widely viewed as a fundamental characteristic of successful business networks.  Trust builds confidence and in turn increases the likelihood that the information provided will be turned into useable knowledge.  Trust within the rural context has been considered as a phenomenon that springs from, or is an expression of, strong social relations in communities. Therefore trust and social capital have a reciprocal relationship. However, to date the extensive literature on trust in business networks has yet to fully demonstrate how trust works in advisor-client relationships. In addition, in the growing literature on business advisory services and support provider-user interactions, the specific dynamics of trust are under-examined. Therefore, there is a need for a more nuanced understanding of how social capital and trustful relations emerge between business support services and their clients within a rural network context.

The project will examine processes of social capital and trust formation across a number of rural and agri-food business support networks. It will explore how social capital and trust are built in business network-client relationships, and will provide new insights into the factors promoting and constraining social capital and trust in rural business networks.  The project will take a qualitative, multiple case study approach including methods such as interviews with network participants and network brokers/advisors, observations and documentary analysis.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

• Sound understanding of subject area as evidenced by a comprehensive research proposal
• A comprehensive and articulate personal statement

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

• First Class Honours (1st) Degree
• Masters at 65%

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

• Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
• Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
• Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

• Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
• Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
• Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
• Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living