Why Social Capital Subverts Institution Building in Risky Settings

Abstract

This article considers the problem of fostering confidence in institutions in a post-war context. Situated in post-war Bosnia, this article examines interactions between citizens and representatives of municipal governments on newly established local planning committees to demonstrate that an individual's confidence in an institution and his/her trust in a social intimate who works in that institution are sociologically different phenomena with correspondingly different outcomes for institution building. Contrary to the assumption that increased social capital and interpersonal trust positively affect democratic institutions, this article shows that interpersonal trust may actually undermine the development of institutional confidence.

Perceptions of institutions and social capital accumulation: A social categorization and shared agency‐based approach. Evidence from the Russian Federation

“…Although there are some attempts in the literature at framing empirical evidence within a multi‐level synergetic perspective (Mladovsky & Mossialos, 2008), multi‐level social capital analysis is generally hampered by methodological difficulties. Studies influenced by the synergetic perspective mostly consist of qualitative analyses of community–institution interactions (Lehtonen, 2004; Smith, 2006), or aggregated data‐based quantitative analyses aimed at modelling the influence of both institutional quality and community trust on growth and development (Ahlerup et al., 2009). Empirical evidence points at the sometimes complementary (Baliamoune‐Lutz, 2011; Woolcock, 2001) and sometimes contradictory (Smith, 2006) effects of institutional activity and community‐level social capital on national and local development.…”

Democratic attitudes and social capital in Latin America

“…According to Paxton (2002), as democratic behaviors, attitudes, and values become pervasive, associations both organizational and voluntary are more readily formed, contributing to enhancement of social capital. Apart from Paxton's authoritative study (2002) using the World Values Survey (Center for the Study of Democracy, 1994) and the International Year Book of Organizations (Union of International Associations, 1994), there are very few studies that have attempted to examine the effect of democratic attitudes on social capital, and the role these two factors may play in enhancing the living conditions of the poor (Akkerman et al, 2004;Head, 2007;Smith, 2006).…”