Trust as social capital

In the Nordic countries there is a high level of trust in politicians, the government and one another among the population. Thanks to this, the Nordic region as a whole is marked out by a high degree of social capital, which figuratively speaking means that 1+1 adds up to more than 2. Unfortunately, the situation is often quite different in Estonia and has been thrown into sharp relief in the light of the recent health care crisis. A strong community is needed to resolve this crisis and boost people’s living standards and overall level of satisfaction. However, community strength is only achieved with a good measure of trust and a high level of social capital. When trust reigns, it leads to a significantly more equal and equitable society and generates social capital.

During our panel we will be looking for answers to the following questions: How can we increase trust in society? Is trust set in stone or is it constantly evolving? Does a crisis represent an opportunity to foster trust or does it undermine it? How are trust and social capital linked to happiness?

The discussion is led by Christer Haglund, Director of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Estonia. Panellists include Tarja Halonen, politician, lawyer and former president of Finland, Ulf Andreasson, Senior Adviser with the Nordic Council of Ministers, Estonian politician Kristina Kallas and trainer and mentor Kai Klandorf.

Join us live on August 13th at 16.00 at the Nordic Talks area in Paide, or though the events Facebook livestream. The discussion is in English with a translation to Estonian sign language.