The association between social capital and membership of organisations amongst Polish students

Abstract

Social capital plays a key role in the capacity of a society to cooperate, innovate and grow economically. Although the level of social capital in Poland is low, over the past 25 years Poland has achieved impressive economic growth. However, unless its economy becomes more innovative, Poland may be caught in the middleincome trap. This article analyses the relationship of organisation membership to social capital among Polish students based on a questionnaire and three experimental games: “Ultimatum”, “Trust” and “Public Goods”. The results give some hope that Poland will be able to escape the middle-income trap, but a higher priority should be placed on promoting innovation. One approach to this would be a greater emphasis on cooperation and group work at all levels of education.