Concerned about the apparent decline of all kinds of membership organizations
 Bridge clubs
 NAACP
 VFW Posts
 Charity leagues

Seems these are no longer continually revitalized by new generations of members
 

1950s and 1960s
Sociologists noted ever higher rates of participation in these

“Participatory democracy has all along been the political style of the American middle and upper class.  It will become a more wide-spread style as more persons enter into those classes” (James Q.  Wilson, 1968)
 
 

Since education is the greatest predictor of membership in organizations, it seemed the trend would continue into the present

But it hasn’t
 

Rest of the book devoted to
 1) measuring the decline in civic participation
 (if it has, indeed, declined)

 2) explaining why civic participation has declined

3) explaining why we should be concerned about its decline (the so what question)
 

 
The Dependent Variable:  Social Capital

Social capital independently discovered numerous times over the 20th Century

Most associate it with James Coleman

Defined – refers to connections among individuals – social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them.

Related to “civic virtue” but most powerful when embedded in a dense network of reciprocal social relations.

 
Reciprocity
Specific reciprocity
Yogi Berra “If you don’t go to somebody’s funeral, they won’t come to yours.”

Reciprocity of Organizations:
e.g. Volunteer fire departments
“Come to our breakfast, we’ll come to your fire.”

Generalized reciprocity
The “favor bank” in Bonfire of the Vanities

“Paying it forward”

The Golden Rule
 

Reciprocity is important for social life because it allows people to prove they are trustworthy, people of integrity

Thus,
 a)  Trustworthiness lubricates social life

b) Reputation (generated by gossip) is essential
 for trust

Downside of social capital
It can be used to facilitate anti-social behavior
e.g. gangs, mafia, militias
 

Bridging (inclusive) social capital
(sociological WD40)

vs. Bonding (exclusive) social capital
(sociological super glue)

Names some organizations that rely upon and generate each kind

What kind of social capital is generated by your service learning organization??
 
 

Why is social capital needed for politics?  To develop public policy?