Social Capital Formation and Restructuring in Post Socialist Agriculture: A Research Agenda

Abstract

"The idea of the paper is to comparatively reflect the basic findings of our empirical research on rural restructuring in CEECs and Eastern Germany in the light of both, The New Institutional Economics and The Social Capital Thesis, both taken as heuristic concepts. We identify two pathways, we can observe as rather extreme outcomes of the restructuring process, as network strategies. From a network perspective both pathways describe unsatisfactory network strategies. From a network perspective both pathways describe unsatisfactory network structures. To understand the implications, we change the theoretical perspective and argue along a simple choice model. Along that model, we discuss the question of which elements in the structures we observe are responsible for our pessimistic assessment of the future perspectives of these strategies. This leads us to the some theoretical aspects of a research agenda on how to consider and normatively assess network structures. This research agenda is meant to be a contribution to further discussion about research objectives and methodology of workgroup three of the Transcoop project."