Contribution of territorial social capital mechanisms to social innovation: the mediating role of the knowledge absorption capacity of territorial actors in the city of Agadir

Abstract

This paper is part of an essay in territorial economics, aims to study the contribution of territorial social capital to social innovation, while understanding the theoretical specificities and empirical analysis tools. The main goal is to answer the following question: "Can territorial social capital serve as a locomotive for the development of social innovation? And to what extent the knowledge absorption capacity of territorial actors can contribute to it". To answer this question, we were inspired by a methodological posture referring to a deductive reasoning mode and a post-positivist paradigm. An arrangement and a raking between the theory and the observed reality allowed us to draw up a hypothetical model, linking the triptych social capital/absorption capacity/social innovation, tested on 257 actors at work in the management of territorial affairs in the city of Agadir. The results converge towards the existence of strong and significant contributions between the different concepts, but also towards the need to enhance the value of new actors in order to better involve them in the management of the common good that is the city.