Analysis of social capital and political development in Iran under the Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad governments

Abstract

Cohesion and solidarity in the trust relationship network play an important role in determining the identity and legitimacy of a political system. In a society where people have relations based on trust and solidarity, the possibility of public participation in decision-making, its beginnings, and consolidation of democracy is perhaps the most important characteristic of the greater political development. In this article, we seek to answer the question of the role of social capital in the political development of the Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad governments in Iran. Following in-depth assessments, it is concluded that not only have the Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad governments failed to strengthen social capital in society, but also a decline of social capital in society can be discerned.