Evaluation of the influence of small EU-financed projects on cross-border relations between the inhabitants of the Polish-German border region

This research has examined the effect of small projects on social capital in the Polish-German border region. Our starting point were social psychological studies that have shown that pleasant, personal contact that allows people to bond over shared goals, can bring about a sense of trust between members of different nations. Moreover, small projects are designed to pomote personal networks among the inhabitants of the border region, thus contributing towards an increase in 'social capital' in that region. In order to examine the effect of these people-to-people events, we visited 17 small projects in the region in 2013 and conducted 168 interviews with project participants, organisers and programme administrators.

The project was implemented in cooperation with Katja Sarmiento-Mirwaldt from Brunel University (London, United Kingdom).