Trust and Legitimation – The Case of Serbia
Trust and Legitimation – The Case of Serbia

Author(s): Miloš Jovanović, Danijela Gavrilović
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Anthropology, Sociology
Published by: Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju
Keywords: values; legitimation; trust; Serbia; social capital
Summary/Abstract: Social capital purports a certain “moral density” in the society which implies trust and establishing relations with others – individuals, groups and institutions, that are, in turn, a benchmark for the formation of one’s own habitus, living strategies and behaviour. Serbia shares much of the experience of the postsocialist, transition countries both in the region (Western Balkans) and wider surroundings (Eastern Europe). However, it seems that some particular factors (war in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s, the break-up of the SRY and Montenegro’s departure, as well as the declaration of Kosovo as an independent state) and the general social and economic crisis, which have resulted in a “delay” in transition processes, have a specific impact on the recorded level of trust. The data also shows a very low level of civic participation, which can be interpreted as the final chapter in the post-October 5th era and the disillusionment with the new political elite, but in the political system in its entirety as well. Starting from this data, we would like to identify the values upon which the citizens of Serbia legitimize their behaviour and establish relations with other people based on the analysis of empirical (quantitative and qualitative) data in this text. We would like to observe whether collectivistic or individualistic values guide people in their social actions. On the basis of the findings we can perceive whether the values adopted by our examinees induce traditionalistic social relationships or may encourage democratic empowerment of the society. The text is based on the analysis of the results obtained in the research “Social and Cultural Capital in Serbia” (2011) (questionnaire and focus group interviews).

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