Development and Women: The Role of Trust in Self-Help Groups

This article examines the significance of trust in women's collective efforts for development through self-help groups (SHGs). Community building efforts cannot ignore the importance of trust among group members and, between group members and organisational members. The article explores the manner and forms in which trust manifests itself during periods of formation, activity and defunct stages of SHGs in India. Personalised trust forms the centre of the radius of trust in SHGs and it gets extended to generalised and institutionalised trust. Development interventions for communities often aim to build social capital which is an important corollary of trust. Community and group development efforts aimed at building social capital must take into consideration the factors associated with building and generating trust.