Support for democracy: social capital, civil society and political performance

Abstract: "Two main theories are widely used to explain the widespread loss of political support in western democracies. One is largely society-centred and built around the concept of social capital and civil society, the other is predominantly politics-centred and focuses on the performance of government and the political system. Social capital and civil society theory argues that a decline in democratic support is a consequence of a decline of social trust, engagement in voluntary associations, and civic and community engagement. The performance hypothesis is that falling support is the consequence of government failure, primarily political but also economic. They are usually used separately and independently, although they are not incompatible. Cross-national comparative research shows that there is an association between social capital and political support, though not a particularly strong one. Case studies of countries that are notable for their loss of political support, however, show

Object Details

• Alternative title: Unterstützung für die Demokratie: Sozialkapital, Zivilgesellschaft und politische Leistung
• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource, 27 S.
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Veröffentlichungsversion

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Discussion Papers / Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung, Forschungsschwerpunkt Zivilgesellschaft, Konflikte und Demokratie, Forschungsgruppe Zivilgesellschaft, Citizenship und Politische Mobilisierung in Europa ; Bd. 2005-402

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Politik

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Berlin
• (when): 2005
• Creator: Newton, Kenneth
• Contributor: Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung gGmbH

Further information

• URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-117120
• Rights: Open Access unbekannt; Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:34 AM CEST