Assessment of Social Capital in Communities
Year of publication: 2017
Type: Analytical Report
Topic: local democracy

Share publication

Assessment of Social Capital in Communities

Report prepared by:

Andrii Krupnyk, Valerii Balasanian, Mykola Dziupyn, Kristina Zlatina, Viktor Kishchenko, Liudmyla Petrova, Anna Trepaliuk

About publication

This analytical report is dedicated to researching the state and conditions of social capital formation in Ukrainian communities, viewing it as the foundation of interpersonal trust, solidarity, and effective interaction between the authorities and society. CAHR "Vested," represented by Mykola Yatskov, provided the field stage and regional coordination in the Zakarpattia region. The authors provide a detailed analysis of the regulatory and legal framework, the activity of civil society institutions, the quality of official web resources of local self-government bodies, and the role of social networks in the development of horizontal ties

Who will benefit?

  • Local authorities
  • Activists
  • Journalists

Key findings:

The authors of the report state that as of 2017, the organizational and legal conditions in Ukraine do not fully meet public expectations: the level of providing communities with local acts remains low, and mechanisms for public participation are often declarative in nature. The authors point to the need for a transition from an inertial to a mobilization development strategy, which involves shared responsibility between the government and the community for the quality of life. The analysis highlights the need for the digitalization of communications, increasing the qualifications of officials regarding democracy tools, and overcoming burnout in the civic sector. Priority areas include ensuring real transparency of government decisions, expanding the network of advisory bodies, and stimulating citizen activity, which is limited by low trust in institutions and a lack of information.