Original scientific paper

PERCEPTION OF CORRUPTION AND THE EROSION OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN CROATIA, 1995 – 2003

Aleksandar Štulhofer orcid.org/0000-0001-5138-3644 ; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

The concept of social capital (SC) has gained wide acceptance and usage in social sciences, particularly in sociology, political science and institutional economics. This paper reconsiders the dynamics of social capital in Croatia presented in a previous article (Štulhofer, 2001). Using data from the two cross-national social science research projects (World Values Survey – Croatia 1995 and South East European Social Survey, 2003), the author analyses changes in generalized trust, trust in institutions, and membership in civic associations during the 1995 – 2003 period. The findings point to a decrease in SC, which can not be solely attributed to the situational effects of war present in 1995. The strongest predictor of the negative dynamics of SC in Croatia remains the perception of corruption within state institutions.

Keywords

social capital; Croatia; generalized trust; civic participation; trust in institutions; postcommunist transition; perception of corruption

Hrčak ID:

22672

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/22672

Publication date:

23.5.2005.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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