Social Capital and the Dynamics of Trust in Government (original) (raw)

The quality of government and social capital: a theory of political institutions and generalized trust

2007

Abstract The purpose of this article is to present a new theory on the generation of social capital. In the discussion about the sources of social capital it has been stressed that generalized trust is built up by the citizens themselves through a culture that permeates the networks and organizations of civil society. Since this approach lacks a micro-theory and has produced only mixed empirical evidence, we like to highlight instead how social capital is embedded in and linked to formal political and legal institutions.