Robert Putnam

Robert Putnam
Name	Robert Putnam
Caption	Putnam in 2015
Birth date	9 January 1941
Birth place	Rochester, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Fields	Political science, Sociology
Workplaces	Harvard University, University of Michigan
Alma mater	Swarthmore College, Balliol College, Oxford, Yale University
Known for	Social capital, Bowling Alone, Making Democracy Work
Awards	Johan Skytte Prize, National Humanities Medal

Robert Putnam. Robert David Putnam is an influential American political scientist and professor whose pioneering research on social capital and civic engagement has profoundly shaped modern political science and sociology. His seminal works, including Bowling Alone and Making Democracy Work, argue that the health of a democracy depends on the strength of its community networks and associational life. Through his academic appointments at Harvard University and leadership roles in institutions like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has become a leading public intellectual on issues of community and inequality in America.

Early life and education

Born in Rochester, New York, he was raised in Port Clinton, Ohio, where his early observations of community life later informed his scholarly work. He completed his undergraduate degree at Swarthmore College, graduating first in his class and becoming a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Awarded a Marshall Scholarship, he pursued graduate studies at Balliol College, Oxford, earning a master's degree. He then returned to the United States to complete his doctorate in political science at Yale University, where he studied under prominent scholars.

Academic career

He began his teaching career at the University of Michigan, where he contributed to the intellectual environment of the Institute for Social Research. In 1979, he joined the faculty of Harvard University, where he has spent the majority of his career. At Harvard, he served as the dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government and later held the position of Malkin Professor of Public Policy. He has also been a visiting professor at institutions including the University of Bologna and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.

Research and theories

His most famous contribution is the development and popularization of the concept of social capital, defined as the networks and norms that foster collective action. His comparative study of regional governments in Italy, published as Making Democracy Work, demonstrated that civic traditions were a primary predictor of institutional performance. Later, in Bowling Alone, he analyzed decades of data from sources like the General Social Survey to argue that social capital in the United States had sharply declined since the mid-20th century. His subsequent research, including works like Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, examined the growing opportunity gap and its effects on social mobility.

Publications and major works

His scholarly output includes both influential academic texts and bestselling books for a general audience. His early work includes The Comparative Study of Political Elites. The landmark Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy (1993) won the American Political Science Association's Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award. The article "Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital" in the Journal of Democracy (1995) preceded the bestselling book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (2000). Other major publications include Better Together: Restoring the American Community, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (co-authored with David E. Campbell), and The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again (co-authored with Shaylyn Romney Garrett).

Awards and honors

His work has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards from across the academic and public spheres. He is a recipient of the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science, often considered the highest accolade in the field. In 2012, President Barack Obama awarded him the National Humanities Medal. He has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the British Academy. He has also received honorary degrees from institutions such as Ohio State University, University of Antwerp, and University of Edinburgh.

Personal life

He is married to Rosemary Putnam, a former teacher and counselor, with whom he has raised a family. They have spent much of their lives in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area. An avid musician, he has played the mandolin in a bluegrass band, a personal passion that occasionally intersects with his scholarly interest in communal activities. His personal experiences, from his Ohio upbringing to his time at Oxford, have consistently informed his academic focus on community and connection.

Category:American political scientists Category:Harvard University faculty Category:1941 births