Social Traps And The Problem Of Trust

by Bo Rothstein

• ISBN13: 9780521848299
• ISBN10: 0521848296
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-11-14
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

A 'social trap' is a situation where individuals, groups or organisations are unable to cooperate owing to mutual distrust and lack of social capital, even where cooperation would benefit all. Examples include civil strife, pervasive corruption, ethnic discrimination, depletion of natural resources and misuse of social insurance systems. Much has been written attempting to explain the problem, but rather less material is available on how to escape it. In this book, Bo Rothstein explores how social capital and social trust are generated and what governments can do about it. He argues that it is the existence of universal and impartial political institutions together with public policies which enhance social and economic equality that creates social capital. By introducing the theory of collective memory into the discussion, Rothstein makes an empirical and theoretical claim for how universal institutions can be established.

Table of Contents

List of tables and figures	viii
Acknowledgements	ix
Reflections after a long day in Moscow	1	(27)
On the rational choice of culture	28	(15)
On the theory and practice of social capital	43	(28)
Social capital in the social democratic welfare state	71	(21)
How is social capital produced?	92	(37)
The problem of institutional credibility	129	(19)
Trust and collective memories	148	(19)
The transition from mistrust to trust	167	(34)
The conditions of trust and the capacity for dialog	201	(11)
Bibliography	212	(24)
Index	236