Social capital of the urban community: state and dynamics in the industrialized city

Abstract

This article considers the state of social capital in a large industrial city. The author aims to show the conditions of formation of social capital in the urban community, to assess the level of accumulated social capital, and to identify some of its external effects. The object of the study is Cherepovets, a large industrial center of the Northwestern Federal District, which received the status of the territory of advanced socio-economic development (TASED) in 2017. The urban environment creates conditions for the formation of social capital. As a network of social relations formed based on interaction and trust, the social capital contributes to the development of the urban community. The analysis of its condition is important for management decisions, identifying those social strata that are willing to participate in urban life. This article relies on surveys conducted in 2017 and 2019 in Cherepovets. The study used the methodology for measuring the social capital of the urban community, developed earlier by the research team with the participation of the author. The predominance of the carriers of social capital of its closed type, as well as the presence of a certain proportion of respondents with social capital of the open type and focused on innovative forms of behavior, which greatly contributes to the new status of the city. The focus on unification will be the setting that will allow the implementation of many urban projects and strengthen the degree of civic participation of citizens. In addition, the study has showed correlations characterizing the respondents’ social capital and its locus of responsibility. The author emphasizes the need to increase the level of trust to local authorities, which can contribute to the emergence of new approaches to the communication of power to the people, expanding the radius of trust, establishing the so-called weak ties, the emergence of new and strengthening old an effective social projects to address topical issues of concern to most citizens.