Testing the Integration Hypothesis in the Republic of Dagestan: The Role of Social Capital

This paper studies the social mechanism underlying the integration hypothesis and presents a model about the mediating role of social capital obtained when testing the integration hypothesis. The mediation model holds that the individual's commitment to integration allows him/her to form bridging social capital, which is accompanied by a higher level of life satisfaction. The study took place in Dagestan, which is the most ethnically diverse republic of the Russian Federation, involving respondents from three main ethnic groups: ethnic Russians, Avars, and Dargins. Our research identifies two adaptation scenarios for ethnic groups. The first scenario involves an integration strategy and bridging social capital, while the second involves a separation strategy without any involvement of social capital. Based on the results of the study, practical recommendations were offered to support integration processes in multicultural regions. For this it is necessary to assess whether the integration hypothesis applies to all ethnic groups within the region; to take measures to create a “supraethnic” identity among the residents of multicultural regions; to introduce a quota for government representation for each ethnic group to reduce interethnic competition; to introduce training on intercultural interaction and ethnic tolerance into the educational programs at schools.