Social capital is enjoying a significant popularity in development studies. Several analyses argue that social factors (i.e. interpersonal relationships, trust, co-operative norms, network and so on) greatly influence economic performance. Nevertheless, although the concept is more and more developed in numerous theoretical approaches, most empirical studies have been implemented in developing countries. Considering the importance of the topic for developed countries, we show in this article that the French rural space is well suited for testing ideas about social capital. It constitutes a relevant investigation field for a more comprehensive theory of social capital.