Social Capital ,Civic Society & Democracy

Making Democracies Work

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Key issues

I. What is Putnam’s theory of social capital?

II. What is the evidence In Italy?In the US?Worldwide?

III. What are the implications for civic engagement and development in new democracies?

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Putnam Reading

Making Democracy Work (1993) - Italy“Bowling Alone” 1995 Jnl of DemocracyThe strange disappearance of civic America (online) “Tuning In & Tuning Out” 1996 PSDisaffected Democracies (2000)Bowling Alone (2000)Democracies in Flux (2002)www.worldbank.org/poverty/scapital

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Concepts

What is social capital?What is social trust?What is civic engagement?

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Social Capital

“Features of social life – networks, norms, and trust – that enable participants to act together more effectively to pursue shared objectives.”Capacity building

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Theoretical claims

1) Social capital has significant consequences for societal cooperation, coordination and collaboration

2) Social capital has significant consequences for democratic governance

3) Social capital explains variations in performance if Italian regional government

4) Social capital has declined in postwar America (and elsewhere?)

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Theoretical framework

Why might social networks and social trust relate to good governance?

Social trust

Social networks

Civic engagemen

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Accountable representative democracy

Better policy

outputs?

Political trust?

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Problems of measurement

Formal association membershipPoor recordsLevels of membership or activism?Systematic bias towards bureaucratic organizations

Structural not cultural dimensionsNetworks not informal bonds – trade-off?Function of groups matters: bonding or bridging

Individual or diffuse level effectsContextually-specific social relations – diffuse level effects

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Civic Engagement

“People’s connections with the life of their communities, not merely with politics”

Measures e.g. long-term trends inReferendum turnoutNewspaper readershipCultural/sports club membershipTrade union membership

Italian Regional Government

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Italian regional government

12 1.Evidence? What makes government work?

Italian regional governmentEconomic modernization?The civic community?

Civic engagementHorizontal social/cultural associationsHonesty, social trust, law-abidingnessPublic interest not patron-client

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Measures of effective governance

Making democracy work: Italian regional governmentCabinet stabilityBudget promptnessInformation servicesReform legislationLegislative innovationDay careFamily clinicsIndustrial policyAgricultural spendingLocal health spendingHousing developmentBureaucratic responsiveness

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Calabria

Emilia-Romagna

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What are the implications?

For good governance?Can social capital be created/ strengthened?Can democracy be sustained in low trust societies?

End

Next class: Bowling Alone