Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Submitted Successfully!
Thank you for your contribution! You can also upload a video entry or images related to this topic. For video creation, please contact our Academic Video Service.
Version Summary Created by Modification Content Size Created at Operation
1 Catherine Yang -- 171 2026-09-23 10:30:56 |
2 format correct Catherine Yang -12 word(s) 159 2026-09-23 10:32:00 |

Video Upload Options

We provide professional Academic Video Service to translate complex research into visually appealing presentations. Would you like to try it?
Cite
If you have any further questions, please contact Encyclopedia Editorial Office.
Office, E.E. Social Compacts. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60414 (accessed on 26 September 2026).
Office EE. Social Compacts. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60414. Accessed September 26, 2026.
Office, Encyclopedia Editorial. "Social Compacts" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60414 (accessed September 26, 2026).
Office, E.E. (2026, September 23). Social Compacts. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60414
Office, Encyclopedia Editorial. "Social Compacts." Encyclopedia. Web. 23 September, 2026.
Social Compacts
Edit

Social compacts refer to explicit or implicit agreements among social actors, including governments, citizens, communities, organizations, and other stakeholders, that establish mutual rights, responsibilities, expectations, and forms of cooperation within a society [1][2]. They describe the negotiated arrangements that shape relationships between the state and society, including expectations regarding governance, public services, political participation, social protection, and collective responsibilities [1][3]. Social compacts are not limited to formal legal agreements but may also operate as informal institutions embedded in social norms, political practices, and historical contexts [1][4]. They provide frameworks through which societies manage competing interests, coordinate collective action, and maintain legitimacy and stability through reciprocal relationships among different groups [2][3]. The formation and transformation of social compacts depend on processes of negotiation, inclusion, power relations, and changing social, economic, and political conditions [2][4]. Social compacts therefore represent evolving governance arrangements through which societies define cooperation, distribute responsibilities, and organize state–society relations.

social compacts social contract state–society relations governance political legitimacy collective responsibility

References

  1. Markus Loewe; Tina Zintl; Annabelle Houdret; The social contract as a tool of analysis: Introduction to the special issue on “Framing the evolution of new social contracts in Middle Eastern and North African countries”. World Dev. 2021, 145, 104982. [CrossRef]
  2. Gwen Burnyeat; Miranda Sheild Johansson; An anthropology of the social contract: The political power of an idea. Crit. Anthr. 2022, 42, 221-237. [CrossRef]
  3. Steven Heydemann; Rethinking social contracts in the MENA region: Economic governance, contingent citizenship, and state-society relations after the Arab uprisings. World Dev. 2020, 135, 105019. [CrossRef]
  4. Sam Hickey; Sophie King; Understanding Social Accountability: Politics, Power and Building New Social Contracts. J. Dev. Stud. 2016, 52, 1225-1240. [CrossRef]
More
Upload a video for this entry
Information
Subjects: Political Science
Contributor MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register : Encyclopedia Editorial Office
View Times: 2
Revisions: 2 times (View History)
Update Date: 23 Sep 2026
Notice
You are not a member of the advisory board for this topic. If you want to update advisory board member profile, please contact office@encyclopedia.pub.
OK
Confirm
Only members of the Encyclopedia advisory board for this topic are allowed to note entries. Would you like to become an advisory board member of the Encyclopedia?
Yes
No
${ textCharacter }/${ maxCharacter }
Submit
Cancel
There is no comment~
${ textCharacter }/${ maxCharacter }
Submit
Cancel
${ selectedItem.replyTextCharacter }/${ selectedItem.replyMaxCharacter }
Submit
Cancel
Confirm
Are you sure to Delete?
Yes No
Academic Video Service