Abstract
Social capital has gained increasing recognition among governments for its contributions to economic performance, social cohesion, and overall quality of life. Reflecting the broader beyond GDP movement, many nations have established comprehensive frameworks and indicators to assess social capital and wellbeing as inputs to policy and budgetary decision-making. For instance, New Zealand’s Living Standards Framework comprises approximately 60 thematically organised indicators, complemented by a dedicated framework for Māori wellbeing. Similarly, Canada’s Quality of Life Framework includes 84 indicators across five domains, while Australia’s Measuring What Matters framework identifies 50 indicators. These systems integrate economic, demographic, and health data with survey-based measures to construct composite indices that track wellbeing trends over time. The Northern Territory (NT), Australia’s most sparsely populated jurisdiction, presents a distinctive context characterised by high population mobility, cultural diversity, and a substantial proportion of First Nations peoples. In response, the NT Government has collaborated with researchers at Charles Darwin University to conceptualise and develop a Social Capital Index tailored to its unique demographic and cultural environment. This paper outlines the conceptual, methodological, and practical considerations involved in developing this index, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges of measuring social capital in such distinctive social, cultural and regional contexts.
Presenters
Andrew TaylorAssociate Professor of Demography, Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory, Australia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Social Capital, Social Outcomes, Northern Territory, Demographics
