Partner or Pariah?: Building Social Capital with Clan Associations in Hong Kong

This article questions the economic perspective of institutions and the uncritical approach to using local organizations and leaders. It argues that the instrumental approach of socially embedded institutions for enhancing project efficiency and political legitimacy disregards the existing unequal structures of authority within communities. Drawing from Pierre Bourdieu's notion of "symbolic power," the author argues that local elites make use of collective rituals and cultural symbols to legitimatize their rule. Reinvention of traditions also places the poor at a disadvantage because they lack sufficient knowledge to draw upon "community wisdom" to make claims and counterclaims. The romanticization of socially embedded institutions also plays down the dark side. A high level of trust can reduce transparency, making nepotism possible. The livelihoods of the poor, being built upon these exploitative relationships, also hinder them from challenging the inequalities.