The study looks at recent analyticalwork concerning social issues in Argentina, which suggestboth inequality, and unemployment are worsening, aggravatedby pessimism and despair - partly shaped by a recession ofalmost three years - as well as by the inadequacy of publicinstitutions. This study examines the case of Argentina, anddraws on its existing social capital as an immediatestrategy, and an investment for the future, to assess therole social capital can play within its context. The studyfinds that aggregate levels of social capital in Argentinaare low, outlining that while the social capital of the poorin the country, may enable protection among themselves intimes of hardship, it does not help them get ahead in thelong-term. Civic associations have proved vulnerable to deepchanges in the local social, economic, and politicallandscape, seemingly due to a historic heritage ofauthoritarian relations with the state. Thus, the studyattempts to promote a dialogue among national actors, andpolicy makers on the implications of the determinants ofsocial participation, and interpersonal trust. Evidencesuggests that less than twenty percent of the populationparticipates in any form of organization, of which,determinants of participation feature the better off, highereducated, or unemployed, while the poorest tend to find theexperience unrewarding. The study also measures levels ofless structured collective action in response to shocks, asa strategy for interacting with public officials, pointingout that during any form of crisis, Argentines turn to theirclosest circles of family, or friends, but do not asserttheir influence on public decisions during prosperous times.Recommendations suggest the creation of an enabling climatefor the development of social capital, that provides spacefor public-private interactions, emphasizing on educationalinvestments, and, creating a culture of informationdissemination, and transparency.
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