Book Description
In his national bestseller Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam illuminated the decline of social capital in the US. Now, in Democracies in Flux, Putnam brings together a group of leading scholars who broaden his findings as they examine the state of social capital in eight advanced democracies around the world. The book is packed 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.
Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society FROM THE PUBLISHER
In his national bestseller Bowling Alone, Robert D. Putnam illuminated the decline of social capital in the U.S., revealing how over the last quarter century we have tended to join fewer clubs, know our neighbors less, meet less frequently with friends, and even socialize less often with our families. Now, in Democracies in Flux, Putnam brings together a group of leading scholars who broaden his findings as they examine the state of social capital in eight advanced democracies around the world.
The book is packed with intriguing revelations about common trends in the countries studied. 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 also found 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. On the bright side, 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. It will interest anyone concerned with promoting civil society and vibrant social discourse.
FROM THE CRITICS
Foreign Affairs
For Putnam, "social capital" applies to a society's capacity to generate the kind of voluntary associations that encourage individuals to cooperate with each other, thereby sustaining democratic pluralism. This volume examines the condition of social capital in several countries, asking an awesome number of questions. How rich in social capital is each country? How does it evolve over time? How is it distributed among classes? How is it configured between formal and informal associations? In response, the chapters offer useful surveys on democracies young and old. Theda Skocpol, for example, studies the shift from membership associations to staff-led advocacy groups in the United States. Essays by Jean-Pierre Worms and Victor Perez-Diaz on France and Spain, respectively, are steeped in history. Peter Hall and Eva Cox stress the importance of the role of the state in the United Kingdom and Australia, respectively, while Takashi Inoguchi compares American and Japanese types of trust. Broaching the difficult task of drawing some conclusions from all this data, Putnam discerns a trend toward narrower forms of social participation, mounting discontent over political institutions, and evidence that the welfare state has sustained rather than eroded social capital. But unequal distribution of social capital remains a major problem, he argues, especially as the traditional groups that once organized the working classes fade.
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