ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the present state of Finnish voluntary associations from a social capital perspective-social capital in association with cultural and, to a certain extent, economic capital that is accumulated in voluntary associations is here called organizational capital. Organizational capital is primarily social capital, but it also has its cultural and economic aspects. According to Putnam social capital refers to such features of social organization as ‘networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate co-ordination and co-operation for mutual benefits’ (1995:67). In this chapter I deal only with organizational networks (voluntary associations) and trust or confidence in institutions. As to the latter problem, I am especially interested in the relationship between the numbers of members in associations and trust in institutions.
