Trust, social dilemmas and collective memories

What does it take to move a society from an inefficient equilibrium, characterized by low social capital, distrust and inefficient legal and political institutions, to the opposite situation? The starting point is a discussion of solutions to the 'social dilemma' problem presented in rational choice theory, which are found wanting. Without norms of trust, the 'tragedy of the commons' is unavoidable. An institutional mechanism is identified which implies that trust can be established 'from above', that is, the trustworthiness of 'efficient' institutions creates interpersonal trust, which in its turn makes the 'production' of social capital in civil society possible. It is argued that the theory of 'collective memories' can serve as the missing link in the theory of social capital and game-theoretical explanations of cooperation. The advantage of this approach is that it brings action and power into the theory of social capital and social dilemmas.