Robert D. Putnam
Also known as Robert Putnam, Robert David Putnam
American political scientist, born 1941; wrote Bowling Alone, on the decline of social capital.
At a glance
Main ideas
Social capital, Bonding and bridging, Civic traditions …
See all 5Criticism
Steven Durlauf, Claude Fischer, Anti-democratic associations …
See all 4Books to start with
Making Democracy Work, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Better Together …
See all 4Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Putnam is a political scientist at Harvard's Kennedy School, where he has been dean.
- His 1993 book on Italy argued that democracies work better where civic ties are strong.
- Bowling Alone (2000) argued that American civic, social and political life had declined sharply since the 1960s.
- He also developed two-level game theory of international negotiations, and wrote Our Kids (2015) on inequality of opportunity.
Why it matters
- His idea of social capital, and its decline, framed a generation of debate about loneliness, community and democracy.
Key facts
- Born
- 9 Jan 1941, Rochester, New York1
- Education
- Swarthmore College (1963); Fulbright Fellow at Balliol College, Oxford; MA and PhD, Yale (1970)1
- Career
- University of Michigan, then Harvard from 1979, including as dean of the Kennedy School1
- Position
- Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School1
- Academies
- National Academy of Sciences (2001); Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy (2001); American Philosophical Society (2005)1
- Awards
- Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science (2006); National Humanities Medal (2013)1
- Film
- Featured in Join or Die (2023), a documentary based on his work1
Main ideas
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Social capital1
The civic, social and associational ties that help democracy work; he links their decline to lower trust and participation.
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Bonding and bridging1
Ties among similar people and ties across difference; peaceful diverse societies need both.
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Civic traditions1
In Making Democracy Work, northern Italy's long history of associations went with better government.
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Two-level games1
International agreements succeed only if they also pay off at home.
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Hunkering down1
In a large US survey, he reported that more neighbourhood diversity went with lower trust in the short to medium term.
Criticism
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Steven Durlauf1
Argued that he uses social capital inconsistently and gives no well-developed causal account.
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Claude Fischer1
Said he neglects private and online networks and underplays women's entry into the workforce.
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Anti-democratic associations1
A sizable literature finds civic associations have also fed anti-democratic movements.
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Sturgis and colleagues1
A 2011 British study questioned how he measured trust and how much his diversity finding matters.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
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Making Democracy Work1
Civic traditions in modern Italy.
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Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community1
The decline of American social capital.
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Better Together1
Case studies of new ways of building social capital.
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Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis1
Inequality of opportunity in the United States.
Connections
Writes
Links
Sources
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