ipl-logo

Summary Of Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital

624 Words3 Pages

Civil society can refer to a body of citizens who participate in collective activity through associations. Within his article Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital, neo-Tockquevillean Robert Putnam argues that civil society is vital for the perpetuation of democracy. His primary evidence relies on the level of political participation citizens engage in through association. Through the case study of the United States of America, he notes that when Americans are not able to carry out their duties as citizens, whether it be through voting or attending political rallies, the system of representative democracy is impacted (291). Furthermore, according to Putnam, civil society is good for democracy as the level of trust in the government increases with greater civic participation. Through the concept of social capital, Putnam states that civic engagements increase social trust which then translates into successful political outcomes (292). Therefore, without civil society, democracy …show more content…

Berman argues that the central problem of Germany that accommodated the actions of the Nazi Party involved the weak political institutions of the state such as political parties (402). Without strong political parties to respond to the demands of German citizens as whole, the German society in both the Wilhelmine and Weimar eras lacked trust and common interests. Berman argues that associationism can only benefit democratic societies when the state has adequate political institutions that are able to channel the demands of the various groups (427). Therefore, although Berman is not necessarily against civil society, she argues that strong and legitimate political institutions must serve as preconditions in order for democracy to

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Bowling Alone America's Declining Social Capital

    1056 Words  | 5 Pages

    Kelsey Lau Professor Schoenfeld English 120, section 007 5 September 2017 “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital” Summary & Response In this essay, Robert D. Putnam discusses the issue regarding social decapitalization in America. Putnam highlights the striking differences between the traditional forms of civic organization and today’s modern form. With how distinct today is from the 1960-1990’s, he argues that the new form can’t be compared to the traditional form— they each operate differently. Putnam then tackles the importance of social capital, the need to reverse the declination, the root causes of the social decapitalization, the composition of a great social capital, and the measures that America can

    Read More

  • How Did Germany Respond To Ww1

    568 Words  | 3 Pages

    This strengthened the autocratic government and endangered the involvement the people had in their own country. With the German citizens losing their voice and representation in their government, the grasp of democracy was gradually being loosened by the undeniable presence of autocracy. As Germany continued to expand its power to other countries and therefore forming alliances, the spread of their autocracy and the threat of their alliance against the United States was a given

    Read More

  • Berlin Blockade Dbq Essay

    774 Words  | 4 Pages

    (lecture 2) Each side was trying to build their own government in order to rebuild. East and West Germany were trying to do the same thing with their side but in different

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Fractured Republic By Yuval Levin

    717 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both social order and economic security have been weakened. The political system shows little awareness of these problems and is, in any case, ill equipped to deal with them. Levin’s concerns are widely shared among social thinkers, although their exact diagnoses and conclusions vary. Robert Putnam, a Harvard academic, has bemoaned the decline of social capital in US society. Bill Bishop, a prominent journalist, has used demographic data to show Americans increasingly choose to live with like-minded neighbours.

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Disease Of American Democracy By Robert Reich

    1103 Words  | 5 Pages

    At first, Reich evokes a feeling of hopelessness and disappointment in the reader by explaining how there is no longer democracy in the US. This can be seen when Reich states that, "political parties stopped representing the views of most constituents," (Reich, 2) and that, "we entered a vicious cycle in which political power became more concentrated in monied interests that used the power to their advantage," (Reich, 2). By including this, Reich is showing the reader the true severity of the situation in which the people no longer have a say in public policy because money and power has become the main focus. However, as the blog continues, Reich begins to generate a more positive emotion in the reader. Reich states that "the only way back towards democracy...for the majority is for us to get politically active once again...," (Reich, 3) and that "the rest of us need to do what we can do best -- use out voices, our vigor, and our votes."

    Read More

  • Discussing The Values Of Civic Engagement By Cesar Chavez

    2386 Words  | 10 Pages

    The purpose of the following essay will be to define civic engagement and to discuss the many types of ways in which a citizen can collaborate and engage with other member of their community. The concept of Civic engagement can be better understood as the act of community participation or involvement. The development of civic engagement in communities has been the cause that initiated many of the greatest movements in history, in the areas that concern both the political and the social factors of society. Throughout this essay I will argue the importance of implementing the practice and the values of civic engagement in order to create a healthy, working society, as well as to define and discuss the ramifications of civic engagement for both

    Read More

  • Bowling Alone America's Declining Social Capital Summary

    714 Words  | 3 Pages

    Social capital has been one of the most active areas of research and debate in the social sciences over the last decade. Among many social scientists, Robert D. Putnam is one of the strong advocates of social capital paradigm. In his widely cited 1995 essay “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital”, Putnam defines social capital as “features of social organization such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitates coordination and cooperation for mutual benefits” (Putnam, 1995). He argues that community life is easier when there is substantial amount of social capital for many reasons such as better schools, faster economic development, lower crime and more effective government (Putnam, 1995). In addition to Putnam, Tocqueville also discusses the notion of voluntary association and its connection to democracy in “Democracy in America” (1835-1840).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital By Robert D. Putnam

    435 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his article “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital”, Robert D. Putnam argues that America’s once vibrant civil society has dissolved. This article was written in 1995. Putnam feels that there is a growing sense of civic disengagement and civic distrust. Putnam makes bold claims and supports them with statistics from studies and polls. An example of this is the data he provides about the decline in organized bowling leagues.

    Read More

  • National Honor Society Research Paper

    586 Words  | 3 Pages

    It means “an organized group of persons associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes.” But despite this literal definition, society can have other meanings as well depending on how you view it. Sociologists often define society as the complex interactions amongst people rather than the people themselves. They believe that society isn’t composed of the individuals, but by the way in which the individuals are related. In this sociological sense, society is an abstract concept where the more common definition is more concrete.

    Read More

  • Voter Turnout

    686 Words  | 3 Pages

    On the social side of this conundrum, lies the fact that some still value partisanship, social capital, and the benefits of voting. Even though they are all on the decline does not mean they are removed altogether. Similar to what the Civic Voluntarism Model proposes, if one has the time, money, ability, a preference, and efficacy to vote, then many continue to do

    Read More

  • Fascism Dbq Essay

    1077 Words  | 5 Pages

    As illustrated in Document L, Germany depicted Jews as the root of their problems. The multiple failures of democratic governments angered citizens into a revolt for new change in political aspects of the country. In essence, it allowed them to put the blame on others in an attempt to resolve the internal issues within Germany. Correspoinsidly in Document G, the rise of fascism directly influenced political parties in the German democracy as the number of Nazi members of the Reichstag began from twelve in 1928 and rose to 230 by 1933. Similarly, Russia needed a new way of life and leadership following the Russian Revolution in 1917.

    Read More

  • Nazi Germany As A Totalitarian Government

    1340 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Third Reich, referring to Hitler’s reign and Germany being under Nazi rule between the years 1933-1945, is often referred to as a totalitarian state. A totalitarian state is a system of government in which all power is centralized and does not allow any rival authorities, and the state controls every corner of individual lives with absolute power. Nazi Germany has been referred to as an excellent example of this type of government. This essay will analyse five aspects of Nazi Germany to determine whether it truly exhibited the totalitarian style of government.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Political Participation

    1639 Words  | 7 Pages

    Democracy is a system of government in which the power to govern is vested on the citizens. This power is exercised either directly wherein citizens reach a consensus to implement policies, or indirectly through the election of representatives who will act on behalf of the citizen's interest (Janda, Berry, Goldman, and Hula, 2012). In such states that have adapted democratic government, political participation is the hallmark of citizens' right and ability to exercise their power. The definition of political participation, as with all concepts of social sciences, is subject to debate since most social science concepts are subject to the changing norms of society and government. Thus, this paper defines political participation as a social phenomenon that takes on different forms which is used by citizens to influence government policies and politics.

    Read More

  • Summary Of John Stuart Mill's Consideration On Representative Government

    1128 Words  | 5 Pages

    If people have no place to voice their will or take part in deciding their own destiny, the community might grow disinterested and passive in their relationship with their government. Mill believes this is problematic for society because history, as he sees it, has shown that more democratic societies have more ‘energetic, and ‘developed’ societies as well as more ‘go ahead characters’ not seen in more totalitarian societies. Yet, this criticism might fail to cover a deeper problem of disinterest; it might lead to a level of moral deficiency as well. Mill fears that a loss of ability and activity, leads to a society losing its sense of communal responsibility and social justice. In their aloofness, people might be less inclined to believe that they have any responsibility to society since society has ceased to have any rights or purpose under absolute authority.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Political Parties

    1692 Words  | 7 Pages

    The political party model then spread over many parts of Western Europe, including France and Germany, over the 19th century. Since then, they have become the most common political system in the world. In this essay, we will show how political parties are essential to ensuring democracy. We will also show that there are unavoidable negative consequences to the party system. One of the fundamental tenants of democracy is the

    Read More

More about Summary Of Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital

Open Document