Economics is fundamentally about meeting human needs through the exchange of goods and services. Long before economists, theories, markets, or corporations existed, people exchanged tools, materials, and skills because doing so benefited both sides. These exchanges required no advertising, stock markets, or global institutions-and they emerged even before agriculture itself.
Modern economic thought, however, rests largely on neoclassical theory, which assumes that individuals are endlessly acquisitive and motivated primarily by self-interest. Within this framework, the pursuit of personal gain is believed to generate the greatest good for society as a whole. This idea-embodied in the figure of homo economicus and the concept of the invisible hand-has become central to market-based economic systems.
Yet this vision of human nature contrasts sharply with another understanding: humans as deeply social beings, whose well-being depends on cooperation, relationships, and mutual trust. At the heart of this tension lies a crucial question-how social trust translates into collective participation and political engagement.
This volume explores the role of political efficacy, both internal and external, in mediating the relationship between social trust and political decision-making. It examines why trust alone is insufficient, and how it must be transformed into political capacity to influence institutions and outcomes.
Drawing on debates in social capital and political capital, the book shows how social trust functions as a resource, not merely a moral value. When supportive structures exist, it can be converted into political skills, participation, and influence.
By reframing economics as a social process rather than a purely individual one, this volume invites readers to reconsider the foundations of economic theory, political participation, and collective responsibility.
