Harnessing Digital Social Capital to Propel the Free Nutrition Meal (MBG) Initiative

Abstract

The Free Nutritional Meal (MBG) program leverages a mobile-first scheme to provide affordable meals to underprivileged school children, but continued acceptance is not uniform across communities. Based on social capital theory, this study examines how digital network structures, trust cues, and shared norms embedded in the MBG app enable program acceleration and persistence. We obtained six months of interaction-log data (n ≈ 38,000 users). We matched this data with survey measures about structural, relational, and cognitive capital from 912 parents, teachers, and volunteers from Sleman, Yogyakarta, in Indonesia. Effects were compared on the three key performance indicators (registration growth, daily meal redemptions, and peer-referral rates) using three social-network analytics (density, average clustering, and betweenness) and partial least-squares structural-equation modeling to assess the validity of five hypotheses relating platform-level social-capital metrics to key performance indicators. Findings indicate that increased local clustering and bidirectional messaging are strong predictors of redemption frequency (β = 0.31, p < 0.001), and perceived platform trust mediates 27 % of the impact of structural capital on user retention. The saturation of eligible beneficiaries is 19 % faster in communities with strong digital bridging ties than in control clusters. Results extend social-capital theory into the digital-nutrition space and provide actionable design insights, e.g., algorithmic friend suggestions and “trust badges” to bolster collective action around MBG. Limits and future opportunities for longitudinal cross-platform Research are reviewed.