The Uncharted Political Realm – Social Capital, Political Values and Practices Stimulating Informal Networks in Macedonia

Abstract

In political science in general, and especially in theory of social capital, informal structures play a visible part. Entailed as a constitutive part of social capital alongside formal structures and relations, informal structures seem to be perceived as a very ambivalent phenomenon. That is the very reason why examining the preconditions and the available social space for their creation seems important. It is none the less important in the case of the Republic of Macedonia, since the Macedonian example displays many connecting points to other transitional countries, but also has its own idiosyncrasies, interesting for social capital and informality as two related issues. The main focus of this academic effort is to determine what the preconditions for creating informal networks are, and where the fertile social soil for creating such networks in Macedonia is located. Additionally, it tries to explain the very foundations upon which these networks are based by analyzing two vital aspects: values and practices. However, the article does not deal with specific informal networks and has no intention of going into details of their structure and functioning. Thus, the text focuses on values and practices present in the domestic political system that stimulate creation of informal networks, claiming that the major factors that contribute to the creation of informal networks are the specific structure of social capital, institutional trust, the structure of the political parties and the political processes as well as the religious and ethnic barriers.