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Robert D. Putnam

Robert D. Putnam Quotes

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Famous Robert D. Putnam Quotes

“Stressful conditions from outside school are much more likely to intrude into the classroom in high poverty schools. Every one of ten stressors is two to three times more common in high poverty schools-- Student hunger, unstable housing, lack of medical and dental care, caring for family members, immigration issues, community violence and safety issues.”

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Book:Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis
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“Light-touch government works more efficiently in the presence of social capital. Police close more cases when citizens monitor neighborhood comings and goings. Child welfare departments do a better job of “family preservation” when neighbors and relatives provide social support to troubled parents. Public schools teach better when parents volunteer in classrooms and ensure that kids do their homework. When community involvement is lacking, the burdens on government employees—bureaucrats, social workers, teachers, and so forth—are that much greater and success that much more elusive.”

CommunitySmall GovernmentSocial CapitalChild WelfareGood Government
Book:Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
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“Poor kids, through no fault of their own, are less prepared by their families, their schools, and their communities to develop their God-given talents as fully as rich kids. For economic productivity and growth, our country needs as much talent as we can find, and we certainly can’t afford to waste it. The opportunity gap imposes on all of us both real costs and what economists term “opportunity costs.”

SocietyProductivitySocial Mobility
Book:Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis
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“If the parents of schoolchildren in an elementary school in Austin worry most about the dangers their children face crossing busy streets near the school, they getting a stop sign installed or a traffic pattern changed will be their first goal. Other aims and actions may follow, once they experience their collective power. "Winning creates imagination," says Sister Judy Donovan, leading organizer of Valley Interfaith. "Once they see they can get a stop sign, they start thinking about what might be done in the school." Successful action gives people lessons in their own power.”

CollectivityCommunity OrganizingCollective PowerMovement BuildingSocial Technology
Book:Better Together
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“School performance, public health, crime rates, clinical depression, tax compliance, philanthropy, race relations, community development, census returns, teen suicide, economic productivity, campaign finance, even simple human happiness - all are demonstrably affected by how (and whether) we connect with our family and friends and neighbours and co-workers.”

HumansSchoolHumanityCommunitySimpleRaceEconomicCrimeDevelopmentReturnTaxesPerformancesRelationSuicideWorkersRateProductivityCampaignsFinanceOur FamilyAffectedPhilanthropyFamily And FriendsNeighbourRace RelationsPublic HealthComplianceClinicalsHuman HappinessCo WorkerCensusCommunity DevelopmentCrime RatesCampaign FinanceClinical Depression
Author:Robert D. Putnam
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“Community connectedness is not just about warm fuzzy tales of civic triumph. In measurable and well-documented ways, social capital makes an enormous difference in our lives...Social capital makes us smarter, healthier, safer, richer, and better able to govern a just and stable democracy.”

PeopleWayLifeWellsAblePoliticalSocialChangeCommunityDifferencesDemocracyOur LivesSocietyWarmEnormousTalesTriumphChanging The WorldMaking A DifferenceCollaborationInteractionStableSmarterSocial ChangeChanging Your LifeMaking ChangesGoverningCivicsConnectednessFuzzySocial InteractionInteracting With OthersSocial Capital
Author:Robert D. Putnam
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“A society that relies on generalized reciprocity is more efficient than a distrustful society, for the same reason that money is more efficient than barter. Trust lubricates social life. Networks of civic engagement also facilitate coordination and communication and amplify information about the trustworthiness of other individuals.”

ReasonIndividualSocialInformationCommunicationRelyEngagementEfficientCivicsSocial LifeReciprocityFacilitateTrustworthinessCoordinationAmplifyCivic Engagement
Author:Robert D. Putnam
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“Unequal Democracy is the sort of book to which every political scientist should aspire--it is methodologically rigorous, conceptually serious, and above all, it addresses urgent concerns of our fellow citizens. As Bartels shows, much of what we think we know about the politics of economic inequality is dead wrong. Bartels's perplexing and often unexpected discoveries should help refocus the gathering public debate about inequality and what to do about it.”

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Author:Robert D. Putnam
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