Robert D. Putnam Books
Robert D. Putnam is an American political scientist and professor of public policy at Harvard University.
Known for: Better Together: Restoring the American Community, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
Books by Robert D. Putnam
Better Together: Restoring the American Community
Better Together: Restoring the American Community explores how Americans are rebuilding social capital and civic engagement through innovative community initiatives. The authors present case studies f...
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
In this influential work, political scientist Robert D. Putnam examines the decline of social capital in the United States over the latter half of the twentieth century. Drawing on extensive data, he ...
Key Insights from Robert D. Putnam
Framework for Renewal: Rethinking Community and Connection
To understand civic renewal, we first needed to rethink what we meant by community. Social capital, as we define it, is the network of relationships that allow people to act together more effectively to pursue shared objectives. It is not merely about friendliness or sentiment; it is about trust tha...
From Better Together: Restoring the American Community
Portland, Oregon: Democracy in the Neighborhood
Our journey began in Portland, Oregon, a city widely recognized for its democratic spirit and participatory culture. In the 1970s, citizens there struggled to find a way to influence urban planning and governance. Out of that struggle emerged neighborhood associations—grassroots entities officially ...
From Better Together: Restoring the American Community
Historical Overview: The Rise of the Civic Nation
To understand where we are, we must first remember where we came from. Early twentieth-century America was a remarkably participatory society, rich in associations and local groups. Alexis de Tocqueville had noticed this trait in the 1830s—Americans’ penchant for joining together to solve problems. ...
From Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
Empirical Evidence of Decline and the 'Bowling Alone' Metaphor
The empirical heart of my work lies in a sobering array of data. Across nearly every measure—voting turnout, public meeting attendance, club membership, religious participation, charitable volunteering—the graphs all trend downward from the mid-1960s. Each dataset tells its own story, but together t...
From Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
About Robert D. Putnam
Robert D. Putnam is an American political scientist and professor of public policy at Harvard University. He is best known for his research on social capital, civic engagement, and community life in modern societies. His works, including 'Bowling Alone' and 'Making Democracy Work,' have had a major ...
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Robert D. Putnam is an American political scientist and professor of public policy at Harvard University. He is best known for his research on social capital, civic engagement, and community life in modern societies. His works, including 'Bowling Alone' and 'Making Democracy Work,' have had a major ...
Robert D. Putnam is an American political scientist and professor of public policy at Harvard University. He is best known for his research on social capital, civic engagement, and community life in modern societies. His works, including 'Bowling Alone' and 'Making Democracy Work,' have had a major impact on sociology and political science.
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Robert D. Putnam is an American political scientist and professor of public policy at Harvard University.
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