INFORMAL INSTITUTIONS AND SOCIAL CAPITAL IN PERIPHERAL ECONOMIES: THE CASE OF REGIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN KYRGYZSTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52754/16948610_2026_1_20%20Keywords:
economy, informal institutions, regional entrepreneurship, peripheral economy, social capitalAbstract
Abstract
The article examines the role of informal institutions and social capital in promoting regional entrepreneurship in peripheral economies, using Kyrgyzstan as a case study. It highlights the problem of weak formal institutions—legal frameworks, state support, and market infrastructure—in remote regions, limiting official business channels. The objective is to show how informal institutions (kinship networks, clan ties, community trust, mutual assistance norms, reciprocal obligations) and social capital compensate for these gaps by reducing transaction costs, improving access to resources, information, and markets, and enhancing SME resilience. Empirical findings confirm these mechanisms are vital for entrepreneurial activity and business survival where formal structures fail. The novelty lies in the detailed analysis of Kyrgyzstan’s regional cases, providing new empirical evidence from a post-Soviet context that enriches theory and offers practical insights for regional policies leveraging local social capital with less reliance on fragile formal institutions
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