How Leadership and Social Capital Enable Collaboration for Sustainable Development in Asia: A Systematic Review
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Abstract
This systematic review examines the interaction between leadership and social capital in enabling collaboration for sustainable development in Asia. Guided by the research question: How do leadership and social capital operate as mutually reinforcing mechanisms across diverse sectors in Asian contexts? This study synthesizes empirical evidence following PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search across five databases (JSTOR, Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO, and ThaiJO) yielded 37 studies published between 2014 and 2025, spanning education, development, governance, and organizational sectors.
The analysis reveals four recurring thematic domains: (1) value-based leadership and social capital, (2) the conditional role of social capital in socioeconomic development, (3) the governance value of leadership and social capital, and (4) collaborative networks and organizational learning. Across these domains, leadership in Asian contexts emerges as culturally embedded and ethically grounded, serving as a relational mechanism that activates, distributes, and sustains multiple forms of social capital. In turn, social capital functions as both an enabler and a constraint on sustainable development outcomes, depending on leadership alignment, network structure, and institutional context. The review highlights the importance of culturally grounded leadership for inclusive governance and systemic resilience.
The review identifies key research gaps, including the underdevelopment of indigenous leadership models, insufficient attention to the dark sides of social capital, and the need for longitudinal approaches to understanding trust formation and institutional learning. Overall, the study underscores that in complex and culturally diverse environments, leadership and social capital operate as mutually reinforcing capabilities essential for inclusive governance, innovation, and systemic resilience.
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