@article{Murray:115412,
      recid = {115412},
      author = {Murray, Catherine},
      title = {Regional Councils in the Creation of Social Capital},
      address = {2011},
      number = {1169-2016-93246},
      pages = {26},
      year = {2011},
      abstract = {Regional Councils are primarily responsible for  environmental management, as specified in the Resource  Management Act (RMA), 1991. The Local Government Act 2002  has an integrative component, requiring consideration of  social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of  their communities. These two Acts are interesting, as their  combination is shaping new governance structures within New  Zealand. Different types of policy instruments are  available to Regional Councils while carrying out their  functions: regulatory, economic and voluntary. The 1990s  are characterized by ‘first generation Plans’ of the RMA,  which were highly rule focused. In the 2000s a marked shift  occurred, mainstreaming ‘community’ and participative  approaches to policy. This increased levels of trust  between communities and the Regional Councils, and can be  seen as building blocks in the formation of social capital.  Where rules were not achieving particular policy  objectives, interesting new hybrid forms of governance  emerged.
This paper looks at these newly-formed partnership  approaches in New Zealand. The paper traces the emergence  of partnerships as a collective form of action, and  analyses them from an economic governance perspective. In  so doing, the fundamental role of social capital is  explained, as a rational economic concept. Regional  Councils are centrally placed to anchor partnerships and  strengthen their formation, hence strengthening social  networks within the regions. The issue of riparian  management is explored as a case study to inform how this  could occur.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/115412},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.115412},
}