Marta Młokosiewicz

Department of Microeconomics

University of Szczecin

64, Mickiewicza Street, 71-101 Szczecin, Poland

Social Capital in Poland Compared to Other Members States – the Analysis of the Phenomenon at a Macro-Level

ABSTRACT. The present article refers to chosen of social capital at a macro-level of analysis. The main aim is to identify the condition of this capital in the period under analysis. The following issues were subject to investigation: reliability of formal institutions in the opinion of citizens, civic activity, range of democracy and transparency of decision-making in a given state. Theoretical-empirical analysis of social capital was conducted on the basis of available statistical data. The article put emphasis on conclusions about Poland compared to other Member States. These conclusions were referred to changes in economic situation of a country measured on the basis of GDP per capita (presented in the last section of the present paper). The period under examination was determined by Poland’s membership in the EU and covered the years 2004-2007.

Received: December, 2008

1st Revision: January, 2009

Accepted: March, 2009

JEL Classification: Z1, Z13, J24, D72, D73

Keywords:: European funds Cultural Economics (Z1), Social Capital (Z13), Human Capital, Skills (J24), Voting Behavior (D72), Administrative Process in Public Organizations, Corruption (D73).