Social capital, institutional structures, and democratic performance: a comparative study of german local governments

• Published in: European journal of political research Vol. 35; no. 1; pp. 1 - 34
• Main Author: CUSACK, THOMAS R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.1999
• Subjects: Comparative politics; Comparative Study; CONTEMPORARY EUROPE; Cultural Capital; Decision Making; Democracy; DEMOCRATIC PROCESS AND INSTITUTIONS; Elites; Federal Republic of Germany; Germany; GERMANY IN GENERAL; Local Government; Local Politics; Organizational Effectiveness; Political Culture; Political Power; Political structure; Political systems performance; Satisfaction; Social Capital; Social Institutions; Social Structure; SOCIETY AS A WHOLE

. The argument presented is that political culture and institutional structures independently shape government performance. This is consistent with Putnam et al.'s (1983) initial argument that ‘endogenous’ and ‘exogenous’ factors are independently at work in shaping institutional performance. I...