Long abstract

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The concept of Social Capital has until now no place in official statistics or in the general terminology of social research. It is applied by a few authors in the border area between economics, political science and sociology. But there are several concepts encompassing a similar domain of ideas: SOLDARITÄT (solidarity, community functioning and norms): mutual assistance and trust, particularly within common interest groups and within cooperating units in organisations; SYNERGIE (synergetic cooperation): the pooling of endeavour and resources, particularly between different social units and cultures; SOZIALKONTAKT (social contact and support): frequency and intensity of meeting and interacting with persons and groups in some degree of relation - relatives, friends, persons in helping relations; acquaintances, neighbors, coworkers, organized groups; DEMOKRATIE (democratic functioning): degree of democratic participation in political, cultural and economic organisations and activities, elections, demos, lobbying; ANOMIE (deficiency of norms, social disruption): lack of social orders, level of sociopathology and criminality. In explicit and implicit connection with such concepts a modest quantity of "weak" indicators from official statistics and from survey research is used. A continuous and integrated system of research in the field of Social Capital is lacking.