The Type and Role of Social Capital in Post-Transition European Economies

Abstract

After a review of the literature, a definition of social capital was adopted as a partly altruistic attitude that an individual reveals in interpersonal relations. This attitude is helpful in different formulas of cooperation. In reply to the evidence of difficulties in cooperation in post- transition economies, a quantitative analysis of the level and type of social capital in European societies was fulfilled. It shows that post-transition societies (together with some Southern European ones) are characterised by low trust and propensity to develop rather “close” social ties contrary to “weak” ones. This could imply difficulties in cooperation and lead to the adoption of “bonding” rather than “bridging” forms. This situation may be an outcome of decades of totalitarianism when societies were unable to learn the culture of wider social relations and to organise associations. The other factors may be the catholic or orthodox traditions of those societies more hierarchy-oriented than the protestant one, low trust in the quality of the nation and legal system ,the fruit of immaturity of transition.