An analysis of Robert D. Putnam's Bowling alone : the collapse and revival of American community

American political scientist Robert Putnam wasn’t the first person to recognize that social capital – the relationships between people that allow communities to function well – is the grease that oils the wheels of society. But by publishing __Bowling Alone__, he moved the debate from one primarily concerned with family and individual relationships one that studied the social capital generated by people’s engagement with the civic life. Putnam drew heavily on the critical thinking skill of interpretation in shaping his work. He took fresh looks at the meaning of evidence that other scholars had made too many assumptions about, and was scrupulous in clarifying what his evidence was really saying. He found that strong social capital has the power to boost health, lower unemployment, and improve life in major ways. As such, any decrease in civic engagement could create serious consequences for society. Putnam’s interpretation of these issues led him to the understanding that if America is to thrive, its citizens must connect. "American political scientist Robert Putnam was©n';t the first person to recognize that social capital--the relationships between people that allow communities to function well--is the grease that oils the wheels of society. But by publishing Bowling Alone, he moved the debate from one primarily concerned with family and individual relationships one that studied the social capital generated by peopl©e';s engagement with the civic life. Putnam drew heavily on the critical thinking skill of interpretation in shaping his work. He took fresh looks at the meaning of evidence that other scholars had made too many assumptions about, and was scrupulous in clarifying what his evidence was really saying. He found that strong social capital has the power to boost health, lower unemployment, and improve life in major ways. As such, any decrease in civic engagement could create serious consequences for society. Putna©m';s interpretation of these issues led him to the understanding that if America is to thrive, its citizens must connect.© "--Provided by publisher "American political scientist Robert Putnam wasn't the first person to recognize that social capital - the relationships between people that allow communities to function well - is the grease that oils the wheels of society. But by publishing Bowling Alone, he moved the debate from one primarily concerned with family and individual relationships one that studied the social capital generated by people's engagement with the civic life. Putnam drew heavily on the critical thinking skill of interpretation in shaping his work. He took fresh looks at the meaning of evidence that other scholars had made too many assumptions about, and was scrupulous in clarifying what his evidence was really saying. He found that strong social capital has the power to boost health, lower unemployment, and improve life in major ways. As such, any decrease in civic engagement could create serious consequences for society. Putnam's interpretation of these issues led him to the understanding that if America is to thrive, its citizens must connect."--Provided by publisher Cover 1 Title Page 2 Copyright Page 3 Table of Contents 4 WAYS IN TO THE TEXT 10 Who Is Robert D. Putnam? 10 What Does Bowling Alone Say? 11 Why Does Bowling Alone Matter? 13 SECTION 1: INFLUENCES 15 Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context 16 Module 2: Academic Context 20 Module 3: The Problem 24 Module 4: The Author’s Contribution 29 SECTION 2: IDEAS 33 Module 5: Main Ideas 34 Module 6: Secondary Ideas 38 Module 7: Achievement 43 Module 8: Place in the Author’s Work 48 SECTION 3: IMPACT 52 Module 9: The First Responses 53 Module 10: The Evolving Debate 58 Module 11: Impact and Influence Today 63 Module 12: Where Next? 68 Glossary of Terms 73 People Mentioned in the Text 78 Works Cited 83 In Bowling Alone , Robert Putnam argues that Americans have become disconnected from one another and from the institutions of their common life, and investigates the consequences of this change. Looking at a range of indicators, from membership in formal organizations to the number of invitations being extended to informal dinner parties, Putnam demonstrates that Americans are interacting less and creating less "social capital"—with potentially disastrous implications for their society. It would be difficult to overstate the impact of Bowling Alone , one of the most frequently cited social science publications of the last half-century. In one of the most frequently cited social science publications of the last half-century, Robert D. Putnam draws heavily on the critical thinking skill of interpretation to demonstrate that Americans are interacting less and creating less “social capital” – with potentially disastrous implications for their society.