Capital social y participación, una perspectiva desde el Cono Sur de América: Porto Alegre, Montevideo y Santiago de Chile

Abstract

This study presents evidence on citizen participation and social capital (SC) in three South American cases - Porto Alegre, Montevideo and Santiago of Chile, in order to revitalize the debate on public opinion, political culture and SC. The study has the following assumptions: the SC is the output of rational decisions of individuals and political designs and institutions and political culture have an impact on those decisions. Using a utility model, survey data and information, I analyze information on associative life and trust, and other socio-economic, demographic and political information. The conclusions: in the mid-2000s, Montevideo, Porto Alegre and Santiago de Chile had a stock of SC equivalent to that of developed societies; in those cities, and by extension, countries, political and institutional factors and political culture had an effect on trust and the willingness of people to take part in associative life, in relation to different contexts and situations of participation. In the more disaggregated analysis of the case of Chile on local level, the same relationships are observed.