A Geography of Social Capital in Italy 2008–2022

This chapter provides a diachronic analysis of social capital in Italy from 2008 to 2022, a period marked by economic and pandemic crises. We construct a provincial-level index based on indicators of social and political participation, two dimensions that exhibit divergent trends: the substantial stability or growth in the former contrasts with the sharp decline in the latter. Acknowledging a new complexity in citizen-politics relations, highlighted by the low correlation of voter turnout with other indicators, we propose a novel dual-index approach, considering alongside the “classical” index, a “critical” one that excludes electoral participation. A comparison with the data of the seminal studies of Putnam et al. (Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy, Princeton University Press, 1993) and Cartocci (Mappe del tesoro. Atlante del capitale sociale in Italia, Il Mulino, 2007) confirms the persistence of the traditional North-South divide. However, our analysis also reveals an internal reshaping within the North and, especially, the former red areas, characterized by a relative decline of metropolitan centers. This points to a more heterogeneous and dynamic distribution of social capital than previously documented.