Analysis of building social capital and supporting collective action policies

Introduction: the article reviews the issue of developing a successful policy of accumulating social capital, increasing the level of interpersonal trust and the number of collective actions (including economic cooperation). Objectives: to study and systematize the potential directions of state policy in the field of social capital accumulation. Methods: theoretical research, system analysis method, case study method. Results: the key theoretic approaches to the description of social capital accumulation have been identified; the factors which influence the level of social capital in the society have been revealed; the mechanisms of stimulating social capital and cooperation have been analyzed and the experience of the policy application have been demonstrated. Conclusions: although no government has ever started any policy aimed at building social capital, there are some examples of successful measures which resulted in its accumulation. They are mostly connected either with the change in social norms related to interpersonal cooperation (these are achieved through the educational system and support of interpersonal communication), or with the creation of monetary stimuli for cooperation. Moreover, the increase in the level of trust may also be influenced by the programs, aimed at addressing social inequality and promoting the quality of education.