Differences in social capital between 54 Western European regions

Based on the extant literature, a newly developed index measuring social capital at the regional level in Europe is presented. It is shown that there are large regional differences on this social capital index. It was tested if higher scores on this social capital index correlate with higher levels of economic development and regional economic growth in 54 Western European regions. Though further research is required, these preliminary results suggest a positive relationship exists between social capital and regional economic development. The paper concludes with suggestions for future empirical research.