Robert Putnam je politolog a profesor veřejné politiky na Harvardově univerzitě. Jeho vlivná teorie dvoustupňové hry předpokládá, že mezinárodní dohody budou úspěšné pouze tehdy, pokud přinesou i domácí výhody. Ve své nejznámější práci tvrdí, že Spojené státy od 60. let 20. století zažívají bezprecedentní úpadek občanského a společenského života, což má vážné negativní důsledky.
Why do some democratic governments succeed and others fail? In a book that has received attention from policymakers and civic activists in America and around the world, Robert Putnam and his collaborators offer empirical evidence for the importance of "civic community" in developing successful institutions. Their focus is on a unique experiment begun in 1970 when Italy created new governments for each of its regions. After spending two decades analyzing the efficacy of these governments in such fields as agriculture, housing, and health services, they reveal patterns of associationism, trust, and cooperation that facilitate good governance and economic prosperity.
Based on two new studies, "American Grace" examines the impact of religion on American life and explores how that impact has changed in the last half-century.
A celebrated political scientist shows how we can remedy the current economic, social and political ills - by doing what we did a century ago and becoming once more a 'we' rather than 'I' society
Updated to include a new chapter on the influence of social media and the Internet, this 20th anniversary edition remains a seminal work of social analysis, examining the decline of community in today's fractured America. Robert D. Putnam's observation that we no longer bowl in leagues symbolizes a significant social change that underpins his acclaimed bestseller. The book details how Americans have become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and social structures, such as the PTA, churches, clubs, and political parties. In this revised edition, Putnam highlights the shrinking access to "social capital" from communal activities and its serious threat to civic and personal health, resonating even more in our divided country today. He addresses the dual nature of social media and the internet, which offer new opportunities for connection while also fostering unprecedented levels of alienation. Upon its initial publication, Putnam's groundbreaking work revealed that social bonds are the strongest predictor of life satisfaction, with the loss of social capital linked to crime rates and neighborhood quality of life. While the means of connection have evolved, his central argument remains urgent: mending our frayed social capital is essential to preserving the fabric of society.
Shows how changes in work, family structure, women's roles, and other factors have caused people to become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and democratic structures--and how they may reconnect.
Why do some democratic governments succeed and others fail? In a book that has received attention from policymakers and civic activists in America and around the world, Robert Putnam and his collaborators offer empirical evidence for the importance of "civic community" in developing successful institutions. Their focus is on a unique experiment begun in 1970 when Italy created new governments for each of its regions. After spending two decades analyzing the efficacy of these governments in such fields as agriculture, housing, and health services, they reveal patterns of associationism, trust, and cooperation that facilitate good governance and economic prosperity.
A groundbreaking examination of the growing inequality gap from the bestselling author of Bowling Alone: why fewer Americans today have the opportunity for upward mobility. It's the American dream: get a good education, work hard, buy a house, and achieve prosperity and success. This is the America we believe in a nation of opportunity, constrained only by ability and effort. But during the last twenty-five years we have seen a disturbing opportunity gap emerge. Americans have always believed in equality of opportunity, the idea that all kids, regardless of their family background, should have a decent chance to improve their lot in life. Now, this central tenet of the American dream seems no longer true or at the least, much less true than it was. Robert Putnam about whom The Economist said, "His scholarship is wide-ranging, his intelligence luminous, his tone modest, his prose unpretentious and frequently funny," offers a personal but also authoritative look at this new American crisis. Putnam begins with his high school class of 1959 in Port Clinton, Ohio. By and large the vast majority of those students "our kids" went on to lives better than those of their parents. But their children and grandchildren have had harder lives amid diminishing prospects. Putnam tells the tale of lessening opportunity through poignant life stories of rich and poor kids from cities and suburbs across the country, drawing on a formidable body of research done especially for this book. Our Kids is a rare combination of individual testimony and rigorous evidence. Putnam provides a disturbing account of the American dream that should initiate a deep examination of the future of our country.
