Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy by Robert D. Putnam (PDF)

Description

Why do some democratic governments succeed and others fail? In a book that has received attention from policymakers and civic activists in America and around the world, Robert Putnam and his collaborators offer empirical evidence for the importance of “civic community” in developing successful institutions. Their focus is on a unique experiment begun in 1970 when Italy created new governments for each of its regions. After spending two decades analyzing the efficacy of these governments in such fields as agriculture, housing, and health services, they reveal patterns of associationism, trust, and cooperation that facilitate good governance and economic prosperity.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I’m not a fan of books that rest on self-reporting (surveys that ask how you “feel” about a government). But this book compelled me because my family is from Southern Italy so I know there’s truth to its core premise that civic trust is lacking there. This book focuses on the pressing issue of how to govern people who don’t self-govern – people disposed to break the law when they think they can get away with it. How do you prosper or even survive in a place where you know you can’t trust your neighbors? The authors wind their way to the conclusion that it takes a very long time for civic virtue to grow, but there is no alternative. Social capital is essential for development and it only grows the organic way: daring to trust your neighbor and not having your trust betrayed must be experienced over and over until it becomes a habit. It can take many generations. That’s not an answer anyone wants to hear. Even Southern Italian leaders were disconcerted by the researcher’s lack of a pill to prescribe for a fast cure. Everyone wants a short-cut to the development process, so I credit the authors for resisting that temptation. No one likes to acknowledge the routine violation of basic neighbor-to-neighbor trust in some cultures. I grew up in such a culture and saw the harm it did, so I applaud the authors for speaking of it. (I refer here not to the community I actually lived in but to the old-world culture my parents had internalized.)I gave this book three stars because it reads like an academic paper. It flops between statistical methodology and sweeping abstractions. While I agree with the content, you have to really struggle to extract it. Nevertheless, I am passionate about the subject of the core mammalian need for trust within a herd or pack or troop. Readers who share that interest might want to check out

⭐This book was required for a neighborhoods and politics class. Very dull in tone, this book is an important case study on the development of civic institutions and civic engagement in Italy. I was able to read the book in a couple of days, but found myself losing attention.

⭐Can be a little dense, though the information is fascinating. Generally well-written, in my humble opinion.

⭐The book was in good condition. I’m satisfied.

⭐Got the book on time before I needed it for class, didn’t exactly enjoy the book but that’s simply school for you.

⭐I had to read this book for my political science class and I was aLot more interesting that all the political science books I read before

⭐works great!

⭐You wanna measure social capital? here is how!

⭐It is an impressive book. If nothing else, every human being should read chapter 4 to fully understand why his/her society is falling apart or succeeding. The book is much less about Italy and much more about the elements correlated to the societies that work. The only problem is that the author does not have a recipe on how to develop those elements. But, then again, who does?!Extremely easy to read, short and straight to the point. Highly recommended.

⭐Fue un regalo para mi hermano que es investigador, dice que es un libro muy bueno y quería la versión física.This is a great example of thorough and legitimate methodological research and quantitative analysis. A brilliant example for all political scientists to strive for.The work itself is very interesting, independent of the methodology the writing itself is quite easy to read, and an interesting topic to engage in. If you’re fascinated with why some governments succeed where others fail, this a brilliant work.

⭐Classic and insightful work by Putnam. Highly recommended to eco honours students.

⭐Ho trovato il testo illuminante. Con una ricerca che si nutre di storia, eventi politici e analisi rigorosa dell’accaduto, l’autore confronta l’Italia dei regni e delle signorie medievali con quella che viviamo oggi. Con un approccio statistico efficace si mostra come la presenza di libertà fondamentali, in primis quella civica, abbiano generato in certe regioni, un’aggregazione forte tra gli individui e un sistema di valori pubblici riconosciuti in grado di rafforzare la partecipazione politica e l’attitudine all’attività sociale diffusa. Queste ultime hanno avuto un effetto estremamente incisivo e favorevole sulla fluidità dei fenomeni economici e il buongoverno, controllato e partecipato dai cittadini. Il concetto di capitale sociale, che permea tutto il testo, è la chiave per comprendere esperienze di successo in certe regioni e di palese fallimento in altre. L’analisi si estende ancora più nel dettaglio riconoscendo anche a zone regionali particolari l’occasione di successo politico-economico negata ad altee. Si mostra altresì, ed è ciò che più colpisce, come questo arricchimento sociale sia estremamente persistente e si auto-alimenti nei secoli garantendo un forte avanzamento sociale e materiale a tutte le città che hanno inaugurato la stagione dei Comuni e delle libertà civili, fonte all’epoca di ricchezza e di successo per queste città, come di un trascinamento secolare riproduce oggi, in quelle stesse zone, un ancora più stupefacente affermazione.

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