Civic engagement of the population in the context of formation of social capital in the region

The concept of social capital is widespread in the modern economic theory, sociology, political science, psychology, and cultural studies. Currently, there are many definitions of the phenomenon of social capital, approaches to its structure and ways of its measuring. According to the studies, the main structural elements of social capital are trust, social norms and values, and social networks of various kinds. A special kind of social capital is civic culture of the population, which is based on the sense of responsibility of the individual for the state of affairs in the country, region or city, recognition of the value of political rights and willingness to use them and, as a consequence, active participation of citizens in public and political life. The purpose of the present article is to study the features and trends of civic engagement of the population of the region in the context of formation of social capital of the territory. The paper analyzes the potential of civic engagement, the levels of interpersonal and institutional trust of Vologda Oblast residents, considers their participation in the activities of non-profit organizations, as well as evaluation of the influence of various public associations on the region’s life...