Robert D. Putnam

Born 1941

From Rochester, New York, United States · Nationality: United States

Quotes

“Whereas physical capital refers to physical objects and human capital refers to properties of individuals, social capital refers to connections among individuals — social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them. ... A society of many virtuous but isolated individuals is not necessarily rich in social capital.”
Bowling Alone, Chapter 1
“TV-based politics is to political action as watching ER is to saving someone in distress.”
Bowling Alone, Chapter 21
“Serendipitous connections become less likely as increased communication narrows our tastes and interests. Knowing and caring more and more about less and less. This tendency may increase productivity in a narrow sense while decreasing social cohesion.”
Bowling Alone, Chapter 9

Books by Robert D. Putnam in the order they were published, from Studying Elite Political Culture (1971) to Upswing (2020).

Robert N. BellahHabits of the Heart examines American individualism and community commitments, a theme close to Putnam's civic-decline argument.
Alexis de TocquevilleDemocracy in America is the classic account of voluntary associations as a support for democratic life, which Putnam cites often.
Francis FukuyamaTrust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity connects social trust to economic and political outcomes.
Theda SkocpolDiminished Democracy examines how civic membership organizations changed in America, offering a critical counterpart to Bowling Alone.
Eric KlinenbergPalaces for the People and Heat Wave look at how local infrastructure and social ties affect community resilience.