Trust can arise even when transactions are not embedded in social relations.
Evidence
This article explores the flip side of Granovetter’s thesis. It examines the proposition that “networks of social relations penetrate irregularly and in differing degrees in different sectors of economic life. ” But it views variability in embeddedness not merely as the exception that proves the rule but rather as exposing significant and intriguing patterns of social organization that create unique problems for social order. Neither does it assume that social relations are a necessary condition for trust. It considers them sufficient conditions, at best, and investigates the sources of trust, if any, when economic transactions are not embedded in social relations. — Shapiro, Susan P., The Social Control of Impersonal Trust, 12
Categorization
- QUESTION: What impersonal trust mechanisms substitute for embedded social relations — this is the article’s core question and worth chasing.
- XREF: Mirrors the reader’s concern about Raskolnikov: if the ordinary social dyad is insufficient for trust/guilt, third-party institutional structures step in. — connects to: Social relations are sufficient but not necessary conditions for trust in economic life.; Dense social relations sustain many non-fungible outstanding obligations. — Coleman, SocialCapitalCreation-1988, 84; Trust in economic life arises from social relations rather than morality or institutions alone. — Shapiro, Susan P., The Social Control of Impersonal Trust, 8 (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Cooperation can operate independently of trust
#corroborates(0.90) - Trust flourishes most where neither kinship nor contract obligations apply
#corroborates(0.82)