Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
By Robert Putnam
Summary written by Diana Batsch, Cincinnati Nature Center
Citation:
Putnam, Robert D., 2020, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (Revised and Updated), Simon & Schuster, New York, NY.
Synopsis:
Robert Putnam defines social capital as connections among individuals or social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them (p. 19) which can be linked to civic engagement and which research had shown, has been in decline over the past few decades. In Bowling Alone, Putnam sets out to explore the reasons for this shift in civic engagement and social capital and possible ways to reverse this decline.
Two primary types of social capital are discussed for the purposes of this book: bridging (inclusive) social capital and bonding (exclusive) social capital. Bridging social capital is regarded as being outward looking and including people from a diverse social network while bonding social capital is more inward looking and encompasses a more homogenous social network (p. 22). While bonding social capital is best for mobilizing solidarity, bridging social capital can be used to link outside assets and spread information. In many instances, social capital includes both bridging and bonding components as opposed to being one or the other. Being able to utilize both can be crucial for making change. Individual virtue in isolation, does not make for rich social capital (p. 19).
Research into social capital in the United States over the past 125 years shows civic engagement peaked in the in the mid 20th century (mid 1960’s for many areas of engagement) and has steadily fallen since to follow an inverted U shaped curve. This decline in engagement is noted in participation in politics, civic participation, participation in religious organizations, work connections, informal social settings, volunteering and altruism, and honesty and trust. Areas of civic engagement which have not shown this decline include small groups such as support groups, social movements, and telecommunications. While no one cause is seen for this decline, research has pointed to four valid characteristics of society that may contribute: pressures of time and money, mobility and urban sprawl, television, and generational differences with the latter being the most powerful factor (p. 283).
Social capital is noted to be beneficial for a few different reasons including allowing citizens to collectively address and resolve issues, build trust within a community, and increase an individual’s awareness of others and how those of a community are interconnected (p. 288). Putnam proposes some changes that may help reverse this overall decline in social capital including: improving civic engagement among younger generations, facilitating civic engagement within the workplace, improving community design to encourage interactions among community members, improving tolerance among differing faiths, facilitating group leisure activities, improving active participation in cultural activities, and improving participation in public forums.
