Now what?

In earlier sections of Putnam's (2000) work, he has explored the "what" (and "why") of the decline of social capital, as well as the "so what" of this decline - why it matters. In the final section of his book, he moves on to the question of "now what?" - what we can do about the declining investment in social capital in the American context.

Putnam makes an interesting historical comparison between the contemporary situation at the end of the 20th century and the situation about 100 years earlier - during the "Gilded Age" and "Progressive Era." Out of an era of sweeping and rapid social change emerged a powerful movement for social reform. And, as Putnam (2000) puts it, "finding or shaping new tools for cultivating community in the alien soil of industrial society was...a central task for the Progressives" (p. 380). This was indeed a period of remarkable innovativeness in the construction and development of social capital, including the formation of multiple associations (many of which are familiar names still), the establishment of settlement houses, and the theological development called the "Social Gospel." Clearly, for those of us who want to reverse the decline in social capital, there is much to admire and learn from in this period of American history.

After this historical analysis, Putnam concludes with setting an "agenda for social capitalists" (p. 402). He sets forth a number of helpful recommendations across a variety of domains: the workplace, public space, faith communities, community-based cultural activities, and - yes - electronic entertainment. He sets some goals, and outlines some specific action points to help get us there.

If you're interested in the topic of restoring and rebuilding social capital, and don't have time to read the entire book, this final chapter might be worth looking at regardless. You might find at least one concrete step you can take to make a better investment in social capital - for your own well-being and that of those around you.