Increase of Trust to Meso-Level within the Community of Albanian Immigrants, Precondition for their Economic and Social Development

Abstract

Once the fall of the communist regime, one of the cruelest dictatorships round Europe, the deep economic crisis induced all Albanians to the exodus versus neighbor European countries. Their exodus was short, immediate, uncontrolled, and not organized. Finding themselves in such difficult conditions of survival, they didn‟t preserved strong links with their home-country, and the co-nationals. They had a very hard beginning, dealing with their need to be employed, to have a house to live, and to be integrated to the new societies. In these conditions, we look today the Albanian immigrant community in lower levels of social hierarchy in the host countries, and this is reflected to the second generation of Albanian immigrants too. They have lower social status, occupy business and economic sectors of a lower social status, and are less developed. They still lack strong social capital and high level trusts too. But they are much more oriented to alter ties (weak), than to other immigrantsin the Albanian community and more addicted to the host country living. They own weaker ties to the outside enclave community, and this is a good case for development and success. Increase of trust to meso-level within the Albanian enclave of the immigrants,reinforcing strong ties between Albanian egos, increasing the level of social capital, is necessary to support theireconomic and social development, improving image, social status and business potentials too. Identifying ways and possibilities to increase social capital, social status and the economic development, the Albanian immigrant community of the region of Lombardy in Italy will increase its potential to transnational bridging with home country in international trade.