“The core idea of social capital theory is that social networks have value. Just as a screwdriver (physical capital) or a college education (human capital) can increase productivity (both individual and collective), so too social contacts affect the productivity of individuals and groups.”

Today we’ll start with the evidence for and causes of a decline in social capital in the U.S. – next week (link here) we’ll focus on the value of social capital and potential cures.

On April 30^th, 1999, the Charity League of Dallas met for the final time. They had met every Friday for 57 years, but by 1999, the average age of the members had increased to 80 and their last new member had joined two years earlier. As old members had passed, new members had not joined, despite increases in population. The same pattern is repeated across the country. Why? And does it matter? These are the questions Putnam seeks to answer. Bowling Alone is the classic work on social capital, and as such is frequently referred to elsewhere, both in sociology and more broadly.

Putnam believes that in the last forty years, America has undergone a dramatic fall in social capital. Social capital, he explains, is the networks and connections that unite us to others, smoothing our progress through life and adding value to our lives. Today, however, Americans no longer join as many clubs, volunteer as many hours, run as often for office, vote, play sports together, or eat together, and generally involve themselves less in civic affairs or their communities. At best, they are members of mailing list based organizations, watching from the sidelines as their organization lobbies Congress rather than being themselves involved.

Social change generally occurs as a result of a combination of two factors, changes in individual decisions and generational shifts. Putnam notes however that seniors remain as involved in the community as they were when younger. Instead, generational change has occurred; young people today are far less involved in the community than their forebears. Why? He lists four causes, and estimates their percentage of the total impact.

1. The changing nature of households (10%). The entry of women into the workforce and the increase in full time as opposed to part time work.
2. Urban sprawl (10%). Sprawl leads to an increase in commuting and the fracturing of communities.
3. Electronic media, particularly TV (25%). TV takes up time and drains energy, so that people who watch TV do far fewer other activities even after controlling for the time taken.
4. Generational change (50%). Intense community bonds were formed by generations who experienced the war, in contrast to late generations like baby boomers and others who did not have that formative communal experience.