Social Capital, Civic Engagement and the Performance of Local Self-Government in Azerbaijan

Abstract

Eight years of municipal reform in Azerbaijan reflect a lack of social capital in communities. Without building social capital, achieving effectiveness of governance, as well as political stability and economic progress, in the country appears bleak.This paper seeks to study factors such as the set of informal values, tolerance, social trust, norms and networks of voluntary associations which contribute to social capital formation within the communities of Azerbaijan. As a way of exploring the problem, we have focused on one specific area of governance-the construction of infrastructural services (i.e. roads, housing and communal services, water supply, and sewerage) in Baku, the country's capital, and in Khachmaz and Masalli, both of which are districts of Azerbaijan. The aim is to highlight and clarify the effectiveness of municipal governments in different communities of Azerbaijan from the standpoint of civic engagement and its role in this process.