Social Capital

11 Pages 2727 Words

that the government enforces and how social engagement helps the processes run smoother. American politics is discussed when Putnam focuses on the sharp decline in political participation among United States citizens.
Putnam defines social capital as features of social organization such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefits (Putnam 66). Family is the most fundamental form of social capital according to Putnam. U.S. social capital is declining rapidly in recent decades and Putnam provides four reasons for this erosion: the movement of women into the labor force, mobility of Americans, demographic transformations (decline in marriages, higher divorce, and so on), and technological advancement.
Putnam researches a variety of studies involving social capital in “Bowling Alone” using both nominal and ordinal variables provided to him by DDB Worldwide of Chicago, Illinois and Professor Henry Brady of University of California-Berkley. Both data sets provided Putnam with the social and political trends of individuals within their state. The hypothesis developed by Putnam is “the social connections and civic engagement pervasively influence our public life, as well as our private prospects”
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(Putnam 67). First He states, “…many major civic organizations have experienced a sudden, substantial, and nearly simultaneous decline in membership over the last decade or two” (Putnam 74). Putnam arrives at this conclusion by examining the decreasing enrollment in social and civic organizations within the United States. Social trust is also decreasing and is even more apparent when education is controlled for (Putnam 73). In conclusion, Putnam states “In America, at least, there is reason to suspect that his democratic disarray may be linked to a broad and continuing erosion of civic engagement that began a quarter century ago” (Putnam 77).

“Soci...