Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American CommunityOnce 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. Like defining works from the past, such as The Lonely Crowd and The Affluent Society, and like the works of C. Wright Mills and Betty Friedan, Putnam’s Bowling Alone has identified a central crisis at the heart of our society and suggests what we can do. |
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Page 20
... connections that benefit our own interests . One pervasive strategem of ambitious job seekers is " networking , " for most of us get our jobs because of whom we know , not what we know - that is , our social capital , not our human ...
... connections that benefit our own interests . One pervasive strategem of ambitious job seekers is " networking , " for most of us get our jobs because of whom we know , not what we know - that is , our social capital , not our human ...
Page 87
... connections at work . From a broader societal per- spective , an added benefit of workplace - based connections is that the work- place is much more diverse , racially and even politically , than most other social settings . 22 Before ...
... connections at work . From a broader societal per- spective , an added benefit of workplace - based connections is that the work- place is much more diverse , racially and even politically , than most other social settings . 22 Before ...
Page 95
... connections generally do not build civic skills in the ways that involvement in a club , a political group , a union , or a church can , but informal connections are very important in sustaining social networks . So in our inventory of ...
... connections generally do not build civic skills in the ways that involvement in a club , a political group , a union , or a church can , but informal connections are very important in sustaining social networks . So in our inventory of ...
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activities adults African Americans American analysis of DDB Author's analysis average Barry Wellman behavior boomers bowling chapter Chicago church attendance cities citizens civic disengagement civic engagement club meetings cohort community projects compared computer-mediated communication correlated DDB Needham decades decline Democracy demographic economic effects entertainment environmental evidence fewer figure forms fraction friends Gilded Age groups growth half important income individual Internet Journal less levels membership ment mobility National National Election Study nearly Needham Life Style neighborhood neighbors organizational organizations parents participation percent Political Trends surveys poll population predictor Progressive Era religion religious reported Research Robert Roper Social roughly Social and Political social capital social connectedness social networks Social Survey social trust society Statistics Style survey archive television Theda Skocpol tion turnout twentieth century University Press Urban virtually voluntary associations volunteering voting watching women workplace York