In his national bestseller Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam illuminated the decline of social capital in the US. Now, in Democracies in Flux, Putnam brings together a group of leading scholars who broaden his findings as they examine the state of social capital in eight advanced democracies around the world. The book is packed with many intriguing revelations. The contributors note, for instance, that waning participation in unions, churches, and political parties seems to be virtually universal, a troubling discovery as these forms of social capital are especially important for empowering less educated, less affluent portions of the population. Indeed, in general, the researchers found more social grouping among the affluent than among the working classes and they find evidence of a younger generation that is singularly uninterested in politics, distrustful both of politicians and of others, cynical about public affairs, and less inclined to participate in enduring social organizations. Yet social capital appears as strong as ever in Sweden, where 40% of the adult population participate in "study circles"--small groups who meet weekly for educational discussions. Social capital--good will, fellowship, sympathy, and social intercourse--is vitally important both for the health of our communities and for our own physical and psychological well being. Offering a panoramic look at social capital around the world, this book makes an important contribution to our understanding of these phenomena and why they are important in today's world.

羅伯特D·帕特南，當代西方著名政治學傢，現任哈佛大學國際事務研究中心主任，肯尼迪政府學院公共政策馬爾林講座教授。他的主要研究領域是政治學、國際政治和公共政策，發錶的著作包括《手拉手：西方七國峰會》、《獨自打保齡：美國社會資本的衰減》、《使民主動轉起來》一舉奠定瞭帕特南教授在西方學術界的權威性地位，他因之被譽為是與托剋維爾、帕雷托和韋伯齊名的學術大傢。