The Place of Social Capital in the Formation and Integration of the Territorial Communities

Abstract

The article is aimed at studying the mechanisms for activating the integration of territorial communities through the formation and use of social capital. The relevance of the study of administrative and territorial reforms based on the integration of the territorial communities from the perspective of the formation and use of social capital has been disclosed. The results of decentralization of power have been analyzed, and the advantages and disadvantages of this process have been highlighted. On the basis of studying publications on the indicated issue, the essence of the concepts of «community» and «territorial community» has been defined, their constituents and relationships with social capital have been disclosed. The article proposes application of an integrated estimation based on the method of expert estimations, which allows for the determination of the socio-economic performance of a single territorial community (STC), comparison of the activities by territorial communities and their integrations in the region, as well as the desirability of creating a STC. Prospect for further research is an analysis of the directions of institutional change, which facilitate the implementation of mechanisms for the effective development of social capital of both the territorial communities and the STC.

Keywords

• territorial community
• integration of territorial communities
• social capital
• trust
• norms
• social networks
• expert estimation
• socio-economic efficiency