Social trust
With social trust is in the sociology an intense sense meant in the cultural agreement with other people. This creates a stable, slowly changing trust between members of a community .
The American sociologist Robert D. Putnam has dealt intensively with this topic and defines social trust as follows:
"I'll do this for you now, without expecting anything immediately in return and perhaps without even knowing you, confident that down the road you or someone else will return the favor."
"I am doing this for you now, without expecting any compensation immediately and possibly even without knowing you, convinced that at a later date you or someone else will return the favor."
Social trust is also an important factor in the way democracy works . For example, social trust can lead to trust in state institutions , according to Putnam in his book Making Democracy work from 1993, in which he compares northern and southern Italy . Here, too, the important role of a functioning civil society for democracy is evident .
See also
literature
- Robert D. Putnam, Robert Leonardi, Raffaella Nanetti: Making Democracy Work. Civic Traditions in Modern Italy . Princeton University Press, Princeton 1994, ISBN 0-69103738-8 .
- Robert D. Putnam: Bowling Alone. The Collapse and Revival of American Community . Simon and Schuster, New York 2000, ISBN 0-74320304-6 .