Social Capital: Critical Perspectives on Community and "Bowling Alone"

by David A. Schultz, Manfred B. Steger, Scott L. McLean

"Social Capital is an important crtique that should stimulate further analysis and dicussion of what constitutes community."
-- New Political Science

"The reader emerges with a good sense of the gaps in Putnam's work- or more appropriately in the context of this book, the way in which the 'feelgood' factor of Putnam's work deserves critical analysis."
--Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations

This collection tackles the theme of isolation and the breakdown of mediating social institutions. It is, in part, a response to Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone as well as an attempt to create a broader idea of civil society. These original essays contribute to the examination of democratic theory and practice, exploring one of the most popular causes of this decline in public trust--social capital.

These critical essays are written by specialists and scholars in American politics and American political thought. They utilize diverse methodologies--empirical and philosophical--and multiple perspectives to examine critically the social capital discourse and how it is related to political participation, civic engagement, and American democracy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Academic

295 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

David A. Schulz is a Floyd Abrams Clinical Lecturer in Law and Senior Research Scholar in Law at Yale Law School. Currently, he is Senior Counsel for the Media Practice Group at Ballard Spahr, LLP, a national trial and appellate practice representing news and entertainment media in defamation, privacy, newsgathering, access, intellectual property and related First Amendment matters.

Reviews

[Richard]

(Refers to Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community.)