Social Capital as a Configurational System: A Rank-Based Mapping of Network–Norm–Trust Structures in Korean Local Governments

This study maps local social capital as a multidimensional configuration using the Local Social Capital (LSC) framework. We examine three conceptually interrelated but analytically distinct dimensions—network, civic norm environment, and institutional trust environment—using collective-level administrative indicators for 28 basic-level local governments in Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea. Two-stage rank-based scoring and configurational mapping identify four relative profiles: high-level integrated, partially balanced, biased/single-strength, and profiles with no dimension reaching the 0.70 classification criterion. Under the primary absolute-count specification, four municipalities meet this criterion in all three dimensions. Population standardization materially changes the results: only 9 of 28 municipalities retain their original classification, and the integrated group decreases from four municipalities to two. The absolute-count specification remains primary because the research question concerns the aggregate scale of organizational, participatory, and institutional conditions within municipalities; the per-capita specification instead describes their density relative to population. The typology is therefore scale-dependent and should not be interpreted as population-invariant. The study uses Arendt’s public–private distinction to delimit policy-relevant social capital and applies rank-based configurational mapping to describe municipal profiles. These profiles suggest areas for policy review and propositions for subsequent testing; they do not establish policy effects or causal complementarity among dimensions.