sustainability Article Interregional Diversity of Social Capital in the Context of Sustainable Development—A Case Study of Polish Voivodeships Katarzyna Pawlewicz 1 and Adam Pawlewicz 2,* 1 Department of Socio-Economic Geography, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-720 Olsztyn, Poland;
[email protected] 2 Department of Agrotechnology, Agricultural Production Management and Agribusiness, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland * Correspondence:
[email protected] Received: 7 May 2020; Accepted: 8 July 2020; Published: 10 July 2020 Abstract: The relationship between social capital and sustainable development challenges is of special importance. However, social capital is a complex phenomenon that is analyzed in different contexts and cannot be investigated with the use of a single variable. Social capital is difficult to define, which is why the selection of variables for measuring social capital can be problematic. The aim of this study was to analyze variations in social capital at the regional level. The study was conducted in Poland, and it covered all 16 Polish voivodeships (regions) where social capital was evaluated based on five measures: civic engagement in political and social life, degree of selfless behavior, sense of security and social confidence, formation of social structures, and the observance of social norms (external factors), and attitudes (internal factors) that foster desirable social interactions. The correlations between the above measures were also determined. Composite indicators of the analyzed measures were developed with the use of the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. The results were used to rank Polish voivodeships and group them into three classes based on the corresponding values of the adopted measures.