Social Capital: Critical Perspectives on Community and "Bowling Alone]nyu Press]bb]]11/01/2002]soc026000]20]89.00]]ip]nyuss]r]r]nyup]]]11/01/2002

"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 OrganizationsThis 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.