Social Capital among Egyptians: Measurement, Factors and Possible Interventions
November 2024 2024-12-11 16:28Authors
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Social Capital among Egyptians: Measurement, Factors and Possible Interventions
Abstract
| Social capital has been shown by the literature to be a variable quite central to modernisation, development and economic growth. Over the past two decades, it has also been argued to be decisive in upholding the rule of law, and in some situations enforcing pro-development behaviour without the heavy arm of the law. In this chapter, we ask three questions. First, how does Egypt fare on the two main parameters of social capital – trust and cooperation – compared to the rest of the world? Our answers – relying on findings from surveys, experiments and content analysis – have put Egypt at a non-leading position, to say the least. Secondly, we wanted to explain the low values of social capital in Egypt. We discuss multiple factors: defection being viewed as a social norm, historically determined family structures, and elite behaviour. Finally, we discuss some potential interventions (some tested whereas others are still in the theoretical development phase) to increase trust and cooperation among Egyptians. |
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