An Empirical Investigation of the Relationship between the Competency and Social Capital of Village Cadres and Rural Development in Western China

The critical role of village cadres in China's rural development, especially western rural development, has attracted significant academic attention. However, existing research mainly focuses on qualitative discussions at the institutional level, and fewer studies are in-depth empirical investigations. Using field survey data of rural areas in Shaanxi Province of China in 2011, an in-depth empirical investigation of the relationship between village cadre competency and rural development, as well as the moderating effect of the village cadre social capital in this relationship, were explored in this study. Results show that three dimensions of village cadre competency (i.e., achievement motivation, individual influence and administrative leadership capabilities) are positively correlated with rural development. Achievement motivation of village cadres can stimulate individual behaviors, and individual influence and administrative leadership capabilities can benefit the establishment of a confidence mechanism and promote social innovation. Furthermore, the social capital of village cadres strengthens the positive relationship between village cadre competency and rural development. When village cadres possess richer network resources in social capital, their competency can easily promote rural development through mobilization of the social structure. The results obtained in this study reveal the relationships between village cadre competency, social capital, and rural development, which also support the discussion of social transformational development in rural areas at the micro-level to a certain extent.