W3 civic engagement and social capital

Question 1

What is Putnum (1995, 2000) argument regarding to US civil engagement and social capital?

Answer 1

both are in decline

- membership in most kinds of civic organisation

Question 2

what is civil engagement defined by Putnum (1995, 2000)?

Answer 2

voting, membership in political/voluntary organisation

Question 3

what is social capital defined by Bourdieu (1986), Coleman (1988), and office for national statistics?

Answer 3

B: possession of durable network of mutual acquintance of network

C: in heres in the structure of relations between actors

ex) judish familial community in Brooklyn
- -> enjoy the exclusiveness that is useful in terms of their business of diamonds

ONC: the connections and collective attitudes between people that result in a well-functioning and close-knit society, which is also recognised as a driver for economic growth and as a facilitator for a variety of improvements for individual and wider community well-being.

Question 4

According to Putnum (2000), why this decline is happening?

Answer 4

the passing away of ‘the civic generation’- the last generation with high engagement

• maybe because of TV that changed the way ppl enjoy their leisure time
• -> amount of time spent for TV viewing correlates less membership

Question 5

any criticism against Putnum’s argument, from Fischer(2005) and Portes (1998)?

Answer 5

F: social capital itself is not in decline…
ppl just got more private rather than individualised and isolated to one another

and also:

• Putnum misses the increase in number of volunteers and attendance at public events
• where is women participation?
• his definition of social capital should be more concrete

P: social connection can also be negative because it can be detrimental for individuals
ex) the class exclusiveness is beneficial only for the members
some antisocial group (e.g. terrorists or gangs) also have a strong knit

Question 6

how about social capital in other countries ?

Answer 6

Anderson (2006) not in Canada, Netherlands, UK
Hall (2009) no evidence in UK
–> there is even upwards (House of Commons)

Question 7

what is Tonneis (1963) theory of community?

Answer 7

Gemeinschaft (old, community base):
personal ties based on shared values

Gesellschaft (new, more like association):
thin, transient transaction based on competition

Question 8

what is the theory of McPherson (2006)?

any criticism?

Answer 8

ppl canot name 5 others names who they would talk important matter with
–> smaller discussion group

Fischer (2006): wait is it rly reliable? because it has opposite data compared to other ESS (European Social survey) data tho

Question 9

what is the social brain hypothesis by Dunbar (1992, 1998)?

Answer 9

human being really cannot have a bigger group of friends than 150 (Dunbar number) esp due to our cognitive capacity (brain is expensive tool to work)