Bedford Public Library

Bowling alone, the collapse and revival of American community, Robert D. Putnam

eng

Includes bibliographical references (p. [445]-504) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Bowling alone

bibliographystatistics

Robert D. Putnam

the collapse and revival of American community

Once we bowled in leagues, usually after work?but no longer. This seemingly small phenomenon symbolizes a significant social change that Robert Putnam has identified in this brilliant volume, which The Economist hailed as “a prodigious achievement.” Drawing on vast new data that reveal Americans? changing behavior, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures?whether they be PTA, church, or political parties?have disintegrated. Until the publication of this groundbreaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health, nor had anyone exalted their fundamental power in creating a society that is happy, healthy, and safe.

Thinking about social change in America -- Political participation -- Civic participation -- Religious participation -- Connections in the workplace -- Informal social connections -- Altruism, volunteering, and philanthropy -- Reciprocity, honesty, and trust -- Against the tide? Small groups, social movements, and the Net -- Pressures of time and money -- Mobility and sprawl -- Technology and mass media -- From generation to generation -- What killed civic engagement? Summing up -- Education and children's welfare -- Safe and productive neighborhoods -- Economic prosperity -- Health and happiness -- Democracy -- The dark side of social capital -- Lessons of history: The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era -- Toward an agenda for social capitalists -- Appendix I: Measuring social change -- Appendix II: Sources for figures and tables -- Appendix III: The rise and fall of civic professional associations -- Notes -- The story behind this book