Social Capital; a Meeting Point of Economy and Culture (an Interdisciplinary Approach)

The influence which culture and economy exert on each other is an important topic which has always been the special concern of economists and sociologists, each of whom offers definitions which contribute to the explanation of the relationship between the two. Because the realm of development, is the wider arena of communication of these two things and social capital is the most important factor of development, this paper seeks to explore the relationship between culture and development in the sphere of social capital. Social capital is based on man’s one-to-one and contractual relationships in society and it is closely connected to the culture of society. On the other hand, culture is influenced by the extent of development of society, and it changes in line with the substructures, developments and communications. The research findings show that the main indicators of social capital are: trust, and cooperation, being under the influence of the religious beliefs, values, and cultural norms of society and effects on their deep structure and consistency. Therefore, progress and development require considering the importance of culture and its role in preparing the ground for social interactions.