O capital social do arranjo produtivo local polo de defesa e segurança da cidade de Santa Maria - RS

Abstract

Brazil is considered an emerging power and achieved more influential positions in international organizations. With abundant natural resources, Brazil has gained economic strength, generating a need for modernization and strengthening of its armed forces. The National Defense and Security industry is part of this context, ensuring that operational requirements are met without subordination to external pressures while being considered an important sector for the national economy. Able to provide significant returns to the country, Defense and Security industry can also leverage the development of a region, through the existence of a geographical concentration of companies in the industry and partner institutions. In this regard, industrial clusters involving companies, institutions, public and private organizations, civil society are formed, acting through joint actions aimed at the development of a productive sector of a particular locality or region, in which we can mention the Local Productive Arrangements (LPAs). The characteristics of an organization in this format demand the existence of subjective aspects such as trust, cooperation, standards and systems, and the Social Capital is an important attribute in this process, as it is considered a set of rules that can facilitate cooperation agents in pursuit of a common benefit, resulting in an impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of the organizations involved. The city of Santa Maria, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, has an arrangement aimed towards the Defense and Security area, which may become a promising sector and offer new market opportunities for entrepreneurs in the local industry. Thus, the overall objective of this study was to analyze the situation of the Defense and Security Center LPA of Santa Maria through the measurement of its Social Capital. This study, according to its goal, has an exploratory disposition, and in order to achieve its results, a scientific investigation of quantitative nature was carried out, starting from the Social Capital organizational model proposed by Román and Rodriguez (2004). Through the analysis of 28 agents (companies and institutions), the Defense and Security Center LPA consists mostly of males (93 %), belonging predominantly to an age group higher than thirty-one years (86 %). Based on the analyses and data standardization, the Defense and Security Center of Santa Maria LPA, in regard to the most significant and representative Social Capital dimensions (networks, trust, rules, values and attitudes, and institutional framework) reached a 59.99 % index. Regarding the mechanisms that help foster Social Capital and provide its assurance viability within organizations, it was reached the rate of 62.64 %. Regarding the results of the actions and behaviors obtained by LPA agents, it was reached a 53.59 % rate. Overall, the Social Capital of Defense and Security Center of Santa Maria LPA reached a 59.99 % rate, is considered an average level according to the rating scale utilized in this study.