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SOCIAL CAPITAL AND THE EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS

E.Pawlowska

Abstract

The aim of the article is to clarify the relationship between the social capital and the efficiency of the public organizations. The social capital is an important intangible asset. Whether it is properly used, it can contribute to the development of an individual, an organization or the society. The study was conducted in 15 hospitals on a group of 576 respondents. The hospitalsВ’ efficiency was assessed in three areas: 1) The focus on the patients and their needs (ranking method), 2) The evaluation of the offered services expressed by the patientsВ’ satisfaction (Servqual method), 3) A rational budget management, i.e. the economic measures: net profit and loss, return on equity (ROE) and current ratio (CR). The article provides empirical insights about how social capital affects the efficiency of the hospitals. On the basis of the obtained results it was determined that the social capital influences the implementation of objectives of the public health care facilities. The majority of conclusions presented in the article are of an applicable nature. A theoretically designed and empirically tested model of the social capital can be used in order to improve the social capital in public health care institutions. Moreover, the managers receive a tool facilitating the identification of the social capital and its effectiveness in public health care institutions.

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