Bowling Alone
The Collapse and Revival of American Community

Putnam, Robert D.

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster., New York
Year Published:  2000   First Published:  2000
Pages:  541pp   Price:  $26  
Library of Congress Number:  HN65.P878 2000   Dewey:  306'0973--dc21
Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX6754

Bowling Alone documents the rise and fall of community activity in the twentieth century in the United States and the social changes this reflects. It offers all the evidence, the confirmatory and the contradictory, to give a complete look at trends of community involvement and how increased social capital can benefit everybody.


Abstract:  Bowling Alone documents the rise and fall of community activity in the twentieth century in the United States and the social changes this reflects. It focuses on the theory of social capital, which refers to the increased productivity of the individual and communities through involvement in social networks. Putman looks at both the positive and negative connotations of social capital, from the positive aspects of mutual support, co-operation, trust and institutional effectiveness, to the negative aspects of sectarianism, ethnocentrism and corruption. He asks whether or not life in communities has really changed so much from the 1950s and 1960s when community involvement was at its peak, to modern times when involvement is on the decline, or if our perception of it has just changed.

The book is split into five sections. Section one is a comprehensive introduction to the main themes in the book; section two focuses on trends in civic engagement and social capital, such as participation in political, civil, religious, workplace and social activities; the third suggests reasons for this decline such as the pressures of time and money, mobility, sprawl, technology and mass media; the fourth section asks the question, "So What?" and details some of the repercussions of the decline in community involvement such as children's education and welfare, safe and productive neighbourhoods, economic prosperity, health and happiness, democracy and the dark side of social capital; the fifth section sums up what can be done through lessons from history and an agenda for social capitalists.

The book is full of useful charts, tables and graphs, followed by a detailed appendix of sources for further research. Bowling Alone offers all the evidence, the confirmatory and the contradictory, to give a complete look at trends of community involvement and how increased social capital can benefit everybody.

[abstract by Adrianne Faris]

Subject Headings

• Altruism
• Associations
• Automobiles
• Automobiles/Costs of
• Baby Boomers
• Black History & Identity
• Bowling
• Card Games
• Charity
• Children
• Churches
• Cities
• Citizen Involvement
• Citizens' Participation
• Citizenship
• Civic Projects
• Class
• Clubs
• Community
• Community Activities
• Community Groups
• Community Policing
• Crime
• Democracy
• Democratic Values
• Education
• Families
• Family
• Family Breakdown
• Family/One Parent
• Family Relationships
• Family Stress
• Friendship
• Happiness
• Honesty
• Informal Economy
• Marriage
• Mass Media
• Men
• Morality
• Movies
• Neighbourhoods
• Parenting
• Philanthropy
• Political Participation
• Political Parties
• Politics
• Poverty
• Professional Associations
• Public Affairs
• Public Goods
• Public Interest
• Public Involvement
• Public Issues
• Public Participation
• Race Relations
• Race Relations/Racism
• Racism
• Religion & Society
• Religious Life
• School Communities
• Schools
• Seniors
• Service Clubs
• Single-Parent Families
• Social Isolation
• Social Networking
• Social Organization
• Social Relationships
• Sports
• Suburbs
• Television
• Trust
• Urban Sprawl
• Volunteerism
• Voter Turnout
• Voting
• Women
• Women's Issues
• Work
• Workplace Culture
• Youth