SOCIAL CAPITAL AND LOCAL IDENTITY IN THE SOCIETY OF GLOBALIZATION

The analysis of the concept of social capital, theorized by Robert D. Putnam, emphasizes the crisis of the associative mutuality, that has been characterizing our society for forty years. The study of the associative mutuality shows that the social capital developed very fast during the first part of the 20th century, thanks to the social solidarity. Unfortunately the role of the social capital has reduced his importance in the last decades and at the same time society has got into a period of crisis, involving not only economy, but also (and above all) behaviors. Through the study of the structure and the organization of the civil associations we can see that the origin of the local autonomy is basic for the creation of the urban democracy; in this regard, I would mention the association Monumenta (founded in Parma in 2004), and its care in protecting the artistic heritage of the city. In the last few years some scholars have focused on the relationship between the central state and the local institutions, because it concerns important fields such as economy, health, public administration, school and university; the social capital is basic for the development of this relationship, since it connects business, university and local administration. We can instance the University of Umea, which has shown the fact that the local governance can improve the development of a region, and at the same time the vocational education of students and teachers.