The Effect of Social Capital on the Process of Political Development (Case Study: Kurdistan Province after the Islamic Revolution of Iran)

Social capital, as a prominent concept in social sciences, plays an important role in advancing the process of political development. The first and perhaps the most important topic in social capital is the development of civil society. Social cohesion and political coherence achieved through public union and participation in civic institutions also strengthens political stability. Our main questions in this article are: What mechanisms of civil society affect the political development? In Kurdistan Province, how did civil institutions, after the Islamic Revolution of Iran, affect civil participation and political development? To answer the research questions in the present reseach, sing the theoretical framework of Robert Putnam, the relationship between the concepts of social capital and political development has been studied. To collect and analyze the data from Kurdistan Province, a statistical research method has been used. The findings of the research show that in Kurdistan province, after the revolution, civil institutions have been strengthened, social trust and social capital have increased, peoples’ participation and activities in civil institutions has increased and the process of promoting political development has advanced as well.