Leveraging social capital for educational resilience in conflict: The impact of community behaviors on educational access in pre-Taliban ruling Afghanistan

This study investigates the role of communities in fostering resilience within the education sector amid conflict. By emphasizing the importance of collective community behaviors fostered by the cultivation of interpersonal connections in social capital, the study estimates the impact of community behaviors on the access to primary and lower secondary education in Afghanistan. Using the Geographic Information System (GIS) for battles in Afghanistan, the study conducted hotspot analysis and identified intensified conflict areas (hotspots), base areas, and relatively safe areas (coldspots) across Afghanistan as of 2014. Authors then estimated the determinants of community behaviors for access to education in each area with multi-level logit analysis using individual and community levels' information in the Afghanistan Living Conditions Survey (ALCS) 2014 collected from 20,700 households. The findings indicate that among the four community behaviors, gender-related behaviors within the community notably enhanced girls' access to education in hotspot areas. Similarly, security-related atmosphere facilitated improved access to education for both girls and boys, irrespective of the conflict intensity, and community behaviors against child labor also improved boys' access to education. However, classical educational assistance program was effective only in relatively safe areas. These findings illuminate the role of community social capital in fortifying the educational sector's resilience, providing a foundation for the development of effective education policies and support mechanisms in conflict situation.