This paper summarize about fifteen years of empirical research on various spatial levels on the impact of social capital on economic growth. At the lowest level, the firm level, the results are unambiguous: there is strong evidence on the impact of social capital on firms’ performance. However, when the unit of research is moved from single actors to spatial units with a large number of anonymous actors, the results become less clear.

The common assessments of state of civil society in contemporary Russia describe it as rather weak, stagnating and unable to resist the government pressure (Evans, 2005; Freedom House, 2008). All accessible data – statistics (including NGO contribution in GDP, in 2007 – less than a half from 2002), sociology and case studies (like the evaluation of negative effects of new NGO law) – shows that in 2000s as compared with 1990s, when it was one of the most innovative and leading sector, civil society became the backward one, which at most try to save status-quo.

2nd International CIRIEC Research Conference on the Social Economy, October 1-2, 2009 Östersund, Sweden The Social Economy in a world facing a global crisis.

Public finance, social added value and accountability.

Abstract:

This study ensues on the new research project “Specifics of the social enterprise financing and of the social and public added value measurement”, which is financed by the Czech Science Foundation (CSF) for 2009 – 2010.