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The paper introduces the concept of social capital and deals with the basic relationships within this concept. There has been considerable and increasing interest in social capital theory in recent years, evidenced by its application to various disciplines and numerous subject areas. Existing studies have suggested that social capital has considerable benefits for a range of economic and sociological outcomes. These purported benefits, and the concept behind social capital, are not new but rooted in the work of early economic and sociologic thinkers. Social capital refers to connections among individuals - social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them. Social capital draws attention to the fact that civic foundation is most effective when embedded in a network of reciprocal social relations. Interaction enables people to build communities, and thus form a social structure. A sense of belonging and a personal experience of social networks (the relationships of trust, tolerance, which result from it) can be a great help for people. The paper further deals with the current problems of civil society in Slovak Republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]