Title of the research project
Does social capital make the difference? Existence und creation of social capital in two economically weak european regions: Eastern Germany und Southern Italy

Eastern Germany and Southern Italy represent the biggest regions in Europe charachterized by a weaker economic development in comparison to the other part of their. On the one hand the two macro-regions show strong differences in terms of production structure as well as in terms of the role and the strategies of state intervention, on the other a common concept in the regional economic policies has emerged particularly in the last years: the concept of social capital. This refers to the role of institutional, economic and social cooperation as a substantial element for regional success. The central questions of this research projekt regard the relationship between social capital and economic development. To what extent the social capital of entrepreneurs and insitutional actors makes the difference in success and failure of the local economy. What dimensions (networks, norms) at what level (economic, institutional) play an important role and how are they combined in different regions? Finally can conditions for inducing cooperation from above be comparatively identified. To answer these questions qualitative interviews to experts and a survey among entrepreneurs will be carried out in four regions (respectively two comparable successful and falure regions).