Robert D. Putnam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert D. Putnam
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Putnam in 2019
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Robert David Putnam
January 9, 1941 |
| Other names | Bob Putnam |
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Notable work
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Rosemary
(m. 1963) |
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| Thesis | Politicians and Politics (1970) |
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Robert David Putnam (born January 9, 1941) is an American political scientist. He studies how different countries' governments and societies work. He teaches at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Putnam created the idea of "two-level games." This idea suggests that international agreements only work well if they also help people at home. His most famous book, Bowling Alone, says that people in the United States have become less involved in community groups since the 1960s. This decline in "social capital" has serious negative effects. In 2015, he wrote Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, which looks at unequal opportunities in the U.S.
A 2023 documentary film called Join or Die is about community connections. It features Putnam and is based on his work. You can watch it on Netflix.
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Robert Putnam's Life and Career
Robert David Putnam was born in Rochester, New York, on January 9, 1941. He grew up in Port Clinton, Ohio. As a teenager, he was part of a bowling league.
He graduated from Swarthmore College in 1963. He then studied at Balliol College, Oxford, with a Fulbright Fellowship. He earned his master's and doctorate degrees from Yale University in 1970. Putnam taught at the University of Michigan before joining Harvard in 1979. He has held many roles there, including Dean of the Kennedy School. He is now the Malkin Professor of Public Policy. In 1963, Putnam married Rosemary, a teacher and musician. He converted to Judaism, his wife's religion, around that time.
Understanding Social Capital
Putnam's first major work on social capital was Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy, published in 1993. This book compared regional governments in Italy. It argued that successful democracies depend a lot on "social capital." Social capital means the connections and trust people have in their communities.
Putnam found that northern Italy had a history of strong community groups, like clubs and societies. This led to more civic involvement and better economic success. In contrast, southern Italy had fewer such groups. This resulted in less economic and democratic success. Putnam defines social capital as "networks and norms of civic engagement." He says that when people in a community trust each other, things like trade, lending money, and democracy work better.
Some researchers have disagreed with Putnam's idea that social capital always helps democracy. They point out that some community groups have been linked to anti-democratic movements.
The Idea of "Bowling Alone"
In 1995, Putnam wrote an article called "Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital." It was published in the Journal of Democracy. The article became very popular and brought Putnam a lot of attention. He even met with then-President Bill Clinton and was featured in People.
In 2000, he expanded his article into a book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. He added more evidence and answered critics. His main point was that many traditional groups, like bowling leagues, had lost members. At the same time, more people were bowling by themselves. This showed a big drop in community involvement.
Putnam explains two types of social capital:
- Bonding capital: This is when similar people connect (e.g., people of the same age or religion).
- Bridging capital: This is when different people connect through shared activities.
He believes that peaceful, diverse societies need both types of connections. Putnam argues that these two types of social capital strengthen each other. So, if bonding capital declines, bridging capital also tends to decline. This can lead to more tension between different groups.
Putnam explained his reason for writing the book in 2016. He said that America's system relies on strong social capital and trust. He worried that if these things declined, the system might not work as well.
Some critics, like sociologist Claude Fischer, have questioned Putnam's ideas. They argue that Putnam focuses too much on certain types of groups. They also say he doesn't pay enough attention to new ways people connect, like online groups. Fischer also suggests that more women working outside the home might have played a role.
Since Bowling Alone was published, Putnam has worked to help Americans reconnect. He started the Saguaro Seminar, where experts and leaders discuss ways to rebuild communities. This led to the book and website Better Together in 2003. It shares examples of new and active community-building efforts in the U.S.
Why Social Capital Matters
Putnam believes that many negative trends in society are connected. He sees "social capital" as a key factor. He says that social capital, which means strong community ties, helps democracy grow. But he has seen a decline in social capital since the 1960s.
This decrease in social capital, or feeling disconnected from society, is linked to several problems:
- Less trust in local government and leaders.
- Less belief that one's actions can make a difference in politics.
- Less likely to register to vote, but more interest in politics.
- Less expectation that people will work together to solve problems.
- Less likely to help with community projects.
- Less likely to give to charity or volunteer.
- Fewer close friends.
- Less happiness and lower quality of life.
- More time spent watching television.
Diversity and Trust in Communities
Putnam has also studied how trust in communities relates to their diversity. His research, based on many cases and thousands of people in the U.S., suggests something interesting. In the short term, more diversity in a community is linked to less trust. This is true both among and within different ethnic groups.
Putnam found that people of all backgrounds tend to "hunker down" as diversity increases. This means they avoid getting involved with their local community. Even when he considered factors like income differences and crime rates, more diversity was still linked to less community trust. He also found that low community trust has similar negative effects as low social capital.
However, Putnam also states that "in the long run immigration and diversity are likely to have important cultural, economic, fiscal, and developmental benefits."
Putnam released his data from this study in 2001 and published the full paper in 2007. Some people criticized him for the delay. They wondered if he waited to publish until he could suggest ways to fix the negative effects of diversity. Putnam denied that he was against diversity. He said his paper had been "twisted" and that his research confirms the many benefits of diversity to society.
Awards and Recognition
Robert Putnam has received many honors for his work.
Memberships and Fellowships
He has been a member of Phi Beta Kappa since 1963. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. He has been a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1980. He was also the President of the American Political Science Association from 2001 to 2002.
Awards
In 2004, the President of Italy made him a Commander of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity. He received the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science in 2006. This is a very important award in political science. In 2013, President Barack Obama gave him the National Humanities Medal. This award recognized his work in "deepening our understanding of community in America." In 2015, he received the ISA Medal for Science from the University of Bologna.
He has also received honorary degrees from many universities around the world, including Stockholm University, Ohio State University, University of Edinburgh, University of Oxford, and University College London.
Robert Putnam's Books
- The Beliefs of Politicians: Ideology, Conflict, and Democracy in Britain and Italy. 1973.
- The Comparative Study of Political Elites. 1976.
- (with Joel D. Aberbach and Bert A. Rockman). Bureaucrats and Politicians in Western Democracies. 1981.
- (with Nicholas Bayne). Hanging Together: Cooperation and Conflict in the Seven-Power Summits. 1984.
- (with Robert Leonardi and Raffaella Nanetti). Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. 1993.
- Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. 2000.
- (ed.) Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society Oxford University Press, 2002.
- (with Lewis M. Feldstein). Better Together: Restoring the American Community. 2003.
- Staying Together: The G8 Summit Confronts the 21st Century. 2005.
See also
- Elite theory
- Putnam family
