1. MAKING DEMOCRACY WORK: THE IMPORTANCE OF CIVIL SOCIETY
ROBERT D. PUTNAM Peter & Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy
XVI Congreso Internacional del CLAD sobre la Reforma del Estado y de la Administración Pública
Asunción, Paraguay
Friday, November 11

2. Making Democracy Work
Central question: Why are some places bettter governed than others?

3. Making Democracy Work
Central question: Why are some places bettter governed than others?
Experimental design: Same seeds in different soils

5. Making Democracy Work
Central question: Why are some places bettter governed than others?
Experimental design: Same seeds in different soils
Measuring government performance

6. Making Democracy Work
Central question: Why are some places bettter governed than others?
Experimental design: Same seeds in different soils
Measuring government performance
Explaining government performance: Not wealth, education, parties, but choral societies and football clubs—that is, civil society.

9. What is “social capital” and why is it important?
Social capital is not about associations, but networks
Social capital: Social networks and norms of reciprocity
Core insight: Social networks have value for individuals and for communities.
Networks are important because they:
Transmit information
Help overcome dilemmas of collective action
Encourage reciprocity and trust
Influence identities and thus encourage altruism
Social capital can be used for “bad” purposes, like human capital, but mostly is used for good purposes

10. Social capital is associated with:
More honest and efficient community life
Effective government
Tax and legal compliance
Low corruption
Creditworthiness
Better educational outcomes
Improved child welfare
Lower infant mortality
Lower teen pregnancy
Low crime
Better physical and mental health
Improved economic performance
Greater life satisfaction

11. Types of social connectedness
Formal vs. informal
Organizational membership
Civic activity (e.g., meetings, projects)
Personal support (friends and neighbors)
“Virtual” vs. face-to-face
Bridging vs. Bonding
Different types have different effects

13. Ups and downs of social capital in US history
Bowling Alone: Social capital in US rose , but fell
Why? Technological and social change made earlier forms of social capital obsolete
Challenge for all societies undergoing rapid change: How to foster new forms of civil society

14. Social capital and other human values
What is the effect of migration and ethnic diversity on social capital?
What are the effects of the internet on social capital?
What are the effects of inequality on social capital and of social capital on inequality?