Social Capital and Economic Performance

Social capital facilitates cooperation in the society. High level of social capital promotes economic efficiency by lowering transaction costs. The concept of social capital is already an old one, but interest in studying its role and effects has increased notably during the recent years. Here is considered the literature concerning the connection of economic growth and social capital. Many studies have found positive correlation between the two. Also, we consider measuring social capital and its problems. This paper uses a simple method to measure social capital in Iran, and then uses regression analysis to estimate the effect of social capital on economic performance. The result indicates that declining social capital has a negative effect on economic performance.