REVISITING HISTORY: SOCIAL CAPITAL FORMATION IN AHI UNIONS

The objective of this historical review paper is twofold: (a) To reduce the scarcity of literature about social capital formation in history. (b) To underscore the role of social capital in building efficient administrations. That’s why; it analyzes Ahi Unions in the Seljuk and Ottoman periods between the 13th and the 20th century. The paper concludes they have strong parallels with some of today’s social networks