The Euroregion and the maximisation of social capital: Pro Europa Viadrina

Abstract:

By discussing the German-Polish Euroregion Pro Europa Viadrina (PEV) as a potential social capital maximiser, this article develops a new prism through which to analyse cross-border relations. The structure and activities of the Euroregion suggest an ability to play a bridging role and to foster networks of reciprocal trust across the border. In order to illustrate how it could fulfil these functions we outline three different types of social capital - within group, between group and European - which we would expect PEV to help generate and improve actor access to. By focusing on the relevance of contextual factors and the perceptions of the actors themselves, we seek to explain why, in some respects, the Euroregion falls short of achieving these tasks.