Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society

robert d. putnam

Here, Robert D. Putnam and a group of leading scholars examine the state of social capital in eight advanced democracies around the world. The book is filled with many intriguing revelations. The contributors note, for instance, that waning participation in unions, churches, and political parties seems to be virtually universal, a troubling discovery as these forms of social capital are especially important for empowering less educated, less affluent portions of the population. Indeed, in general, the researchers found more social grouping among the affluent than among the working classes and they find evidence of a younger generation that is singularly uninterested in politics, distrustful both of politicians and of others, cynical about public affairs, and less inclined to participate in enduring social organizations. Yet social capital appears as strong as ever in Sweden, where 40% of the adult population participate in "study circles" - small groups who meet weekly for educational discussions.

Social capital - good will, fellowship, sympathy, and social intercourse - is vitally important both for the health of our communities and for our own physical and psychological well being. Offering a panoramic look at social capital around the world, this book makes an important contribution to our understanding of these phenomena and why they are important in today's world.

Genres sociologynonfictionpoliticspolitical scienceacademic

516 pages, Paperback

First published August 3,2000

This edition

Format: 516 pages, Paperback
Published: March 26, 2004 by Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780195171600
ASIN: 0195171608
Language: English

About the author

robert d. putnam

Robert David Putnam is an American political scientist specializing in comparative politics. He is the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. Putnam developed the influential two-level game theory that assumes international agreements will only be successfully brokered if they also result in domestic benefits. His most famous work, Bowling Alone, argues that the United States has undergone an unprecedented collapse in civic, social, associational, and political life (social capital) since the 1960s, with serious negative consequences. In March 2015, he published a book called Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis that looked at issues of inequality of opportunity in the United States. According to the Open Syllabus Project, Putnam is the fourth most frequently cited author on college syllabi for political science courses.[