Strong communities, such as the traditional communities based on kinship ties in the Pacific Island
countries, generate bonding social capital. Often, these communities are also the main social service providers because governments tend to be relatively weak, especially in remote rural areas. Strong civil societies, on the other hand, can generate bridging social capital and, depending on the receptivity of the government, linking social capital. Having a strong—or vibrant, organized and independent—civil society implies that citizens of different backgrounds work together to express their needs, exercise their rights and improve their communities in dialogue and cooperation with the state. The ideal scenario is for countries to be characterized by both good governance and strong civil societies.

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