On March 25-26, I had the opportunity to present my paper, “The Bridging Link Fallacy: Weak Ties, Structural Holes, and the Fragility of Networked Governance After USAID,” at the inaugural Social Capital 2026 Conference.
Originally planned as an in-person global gathering with social capital enthusiasts in Dubai, the conference transitioned fully online due to the escalating situation in the Gulf and the war in Iran.
In many ways, this shift reflected the very dynamics we study: fragility, disruption, and the resilience and adaptive capacity of networks. There was something especially meaningful about continuing these conversations across borders at a moment when the world is experiencing heightened uncertainty, disconnection, and strain on systems of trust and governance.
I was reminded of a well-known hadith (saying) of the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh):
“Tie your camel and then place your trust in Allah.” (Tirmidhi)
This idea resonated with me throughout the experience. The work of preparing, showing up, and contributing to these spaces (especially in moments of personal and global strain) often requires a balance between effort and trust. I was grateful to be able to “tie my camel” and share this ongoing research.
My paper engages with what social capital and network theory reveal about persistent challenges in the global development industry, particularly the limitations of donor-centered systems and the fragility of externally constructed “bridging” ties.
Drawing on fieldwork in Pakistan and comparative insights across fragile contexts, I examine what I conceptualize as the “Bridging Link Fallacy”: a recurring pattern in which externally engineered connections fail to translate into durable, locally embedded connections and resilience.
This work builds directly on my doctoral research and reflects a broader effort to contribute to more critical and reflexive conversations on international development policy, particularly regarding the alignment of foreign aid with the objectives of localization and sustainability.
I have been fortunate to engage with the social capital research tradition since my doctoral studies, including learning from the work of Tristan Claridge, whose early contributions to the field from his Social Capital Research blog supported my thinking and whose platform has since grown into the Institute for Social Capital. It felt special to participate in a conference organized through this broader intellectual community and the International Social Capital Association.
I was also particularly moved by the keynote from Robert D. Putnam, a major theorist in the social capital research tradition, whose work has long provided a foundational anchor for many of us engaging with questions of social capital, trust, and community.
I am grateful to the conference organizers at the Institute of Social Capital and the International Social Capital Association, for their efforts in a very successful conference experience. I also appreciate our session chair Prof. Dr. Chiara von Hollen-Pierobon, and my fellow panelist Sushmita Shaker, whose presentation on “Building Social Capital by Design” offered valuable insights into the intentional construction of social capital within complex systems.
At times, a significant part of this work is simply presence and connection. I am glad I was able to be present in this space. The experience reinforced for me that the findings from my dissertation remain not only relevant, but increasingly urgent in the current global moment.
I look forward to continuing these conversations, deepening my engagement with the social capital discourse, and contributing to ongoing efforts to better understand how networks, trust, and community can inform more resilient and equitable development systems. I am also excited to be more involved in the social capital community through these organizations and connections.
One of the most meaningful aspects of studying social capital is that those who engage in it tend to inspire one another. I felt that throughout the conference… in the listening, the learning, and the exchange of ideas across disciplines and geographies.
I hope to continue “tying my camel” in the work ahead.
And perhaps next year, if the situation allows, I might even tie a real one. The Social Capital Conference will hopefully return to Dubai in 2027!
For now, I will be returning to the American Political Science Association (APSA) in the 2026 Annual Meeting being held in Boston, Massachusetts, this Fall. I am grateful, once again, that two of my papers were accepted for this year’s Meeting. Due to participation limits, I will be presenting an advanced version of this research from the Social Capital Conference 2026, in the Session on Aid under Stress: Retrenchment, Crisis, and Strategic Reallocation for the International Political Economy.
I look forward to continuing these important conversations at APSA and advancing this work at the intersection of social capital, international development, foreign aid effectiveness, and state fragility.
I hope to share more updates soon!
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