Does social capital help communities to cope with long-distance commuting?

Long-distance commuting (LDC) is a common occurrence in rural/remote regions. The literature shows that the impacts of LDC on residents in host regions can be diverse. To understand this diversity, this paper explores the potential mediating role of social capital between LDC impacts in a host region and the well-being of its residents. Using detailed information on residents’ social capital in a remote region, this paper confirms the negative relationship between LDC impacts and resident well-being, but it finds no evidence of social capital’s mediating role. It is hypothesized that lack of access to appropriate linking social capital may explain the findings.