Some Findings Regarding Intergenerational Exchanges and Volunteering in the Romanian Family. A Synthesis

The present study summarizes the results of a set of exploratory research with the aim to reveal, both theoretically and empirically, the intergenerational exchanges within the Romanian family and the connections between social capital and volunteering, both understood as phenomena which are intermediated by the extended family and kinship relations. Drawing on the results of our previous empirical findings and using the theoretical background of intergenerational and family studies, the conceptual framework of the article builds on two hypotheses: 1) the role of the vicious circle of social capital and 2) the role of the virtuous circle of social capital in mediating volunteering and involvement in connections with the bonding social capital assumptions. In this sense, in the study we are focused on the role of intergenerational solidarity in kinship and other informal social networks (friends, neighbors, community) in orienting people towards several forms of participation, social engagement and volunteering. The researchers made use of a qualitative and quantitative methods mix, in which qualitative analysis prevailed.