ABSTRACT
The relationship between the state and social capital (in its various forms) is complex and dialectical. With research on social capital rapidly increasing since the mid-nineties however, it seems that some of the disputes have been settled. At present, more and more researchers working on questions of social capital and trust have, for example, reached the conclusion that there is no convincing evidence of a positive correlation between acting in associations (on an individual level) and the production of trust as such. It has however been shown that there is a strong correlation (at least in Western societies) between the number of (democratic) associations and the average number of citizens’ memberships on the one hand, and the level of trust on the other (see Strømsnes and Wollebæk 2006; Trägårdh 2007; Kankainen 2007). Such findings suggest the importance of further study into the influence of voluntary associations on local communities and national polity. This chapter thus focuses on voluntary associations as a means of acting collectively and as a way of (re)producing social capital via cooperation between members. In comparison with other types of social networks, voluntary associations can therefore be understood as organized social capital. Significantly, the establishment of an association formalizes already existing networks, ties participation to membership roles, stabilizes the ‘organization of trust’ and, to a large extent, makes it autonomous from individual members. This process by which associations attain such a level of autonomy therefore increases the possibilities for them to regulate their relationships with their own environment (see Luhmann 1988).
