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.
Political Conflict and Governance • Sociology and Political Science • Social Sciences • Social Sciences