Abstract
<jats:p>This chapter analyzes social capital as a critical structural resource influencing the functioning and transformation of local communities in contemporary Ukraine, with particular emphasis on border regions and crisis contexts. Drawing on classical and contemporary sociological theories (Tönnies, Durkheim, Bourdieu, Coleman, Putnam, Granovetter, Portes), the chapter conceptualizes social capital not only as a positive integrative resource but also as an ambivalent phenomenon embedded within local social networks, norms of reciprocity, and informal practices. The chapter devotes particular attention to the social capital of borderland communities in Zakarpattia (Ukraine), a region marked by sustained cross-border mobility, ethnic and cultural diversity, peripheral economic status, and dense informal networks that transcend state boundaries. The analysis indicates that bonding social capital prevails in many local communities, fostering solidarity, mutual assistance, and rapid mobilization during crises. However, this form of social capital also contributes to social closure, selective trust, and the perpetuation of informal and semi-legal economic practices, such as smuggling, which are frequently legitimized locally as adaptive survival strategies. The chapter highlights the ambivalence of social capital in conditions of weak institutional presence, showing how trust-based networks simultaneously compensate for institutional deficits and undermine formal governance mechanisms. Particular emphasis is placed on the transformation of social capital during the full-scale Russian–Ukrainian war. Zakarpattia’s role as a major host region for internally displaced persons has intensified both integrative and exclusionary dynamics. While existing networks were rapidly mobilized to assist, risks of symbolic boundary-making between “locals” and “newcomers” also emerged. The study further examines the growing role of bridging and linking social capital as crucial mechanisms for inclusive integration, institutional cooperation, and post-crisis development. Community engagement practices, cooperation with civil society organizations, international donors, and the expansion of digital and hybrid (online– offline) communities are analyzed as key pathways for transforming closed, survival-oriented social capital into a resource for sustainable local development. Digital networks are shown to extend local social capital beyond territorial boundaries, while simultaneously reproducing traditional patterns of trust and exclusion. In a comparative perspective, the chapter situates Zakarpattia alongside other Ukrainian border regions, showing that different configurations of social capital yield distinct developmental trajectories and risks. The chapter concludes that effective regional and local policies must recognize the contextual logic of social capital, avoiding both its idealization and its reduction to a purely problematic factor. Instead, policy interventions should focus on gradual transformation through inclusive participation, institutionalized cooperation, and the strengthening of bridging and linking ties as foundations for democratic governance and post-war recovery.</jats:p>