The Saguaro Seminar is Robert Putnam's initiative to research inequality, opportunity, and the American Dream at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
The Saguaro is a cactus that grows in the Sonoran desert in the Southwestern United States. There are rich parallels between the Saguaro and social capital (or civic engagement). Saguaros were for some time undervalued by modern American society and often razed. Saguaros are bellwether indicators of the health of the ecosystem. Saguaros have an invisible root system that is multiples of the visibl
06/09/2021
Warning of a democracy in peril, Harvard scholars join national call for federal action to protect elections Eleven Harvard politics scholars, including six from HKS, among 100 who signed statement declaring “our entire democracy is now at risk.”
05/07/2019
Social isolation: Another growing public health problem for older Americans - Lown Institute Clinicians and public health experts are calling attention to the health risks and financial implications of widespread loneliness.
Our Kids: Narrowing the Opportunity Gap, a 4-part documentary series, directed by the Media Policy Center and hosted by Robert Putnam, is now airing on PBS stations, nationwide. For more info and local broadcasting times, go to the website, https://www.ourkidsseries.org.
06/11/2018
ICE Raid in my hometown illustrates the humanitarian crisis stemming from Trump policies. Local Catholic churches prominent in response, but how about evangelicals? This is not about politics, but bereft kids
08/15/2017
My son’s latest book is getting more enthusiastic reviews than my own. What a source of pride!
"Great historical fiction mystery...Perfect for summer!"
Book Review: Perish From the Earth by Jonathan F. Putnam
Book Review: Perish From the Earth by Jonathan F. Putnam - The Bibliophage This is definitely a great historical fiction mystery—not too heavy and not too light. Perfect for summer!
07/10/2017
Every kid deserves equal opportunity and Boston is developing summer programs to make that possible
https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2017/07/04/life-changing-summer-for-every-boston-kid/jzIXLRp3RDwynGe0iOoJ0H/story.html
A life-changing summer for every Boston kid - The Boston Globe The Boston summer learning model, paid for with public and private funds, is worthy of replication.
"the modifications 'upper' or 'lower' to the general 'middle-class' category have become more important" Richard Reeves
A closer look at the impact of sports on society from
http://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/849
Our Sports Clubs: The Sport-for-All Dream in Crisis? Book Review of Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis. By Robert Putnam. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015, 400 pp.; ISBN: 1476769893. | Haudenhuyse | Social Inclusion Our Sports Clubs: The Sport-for-All Dream in Crisis? Book Review of Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis. By Robert Putnam. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015, 400 pp.; ISBN: 1476769893.
06/19/2017
Is America's social-capital problem a reflection of it's political problem? National Review United States Senator Mike Lee
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/448633/americans-political-activism-rise-americans-are-less-well-informed
America’s Social-Capital Problem Is America’s Political Problem All of American life has become a referendum on politics ...
06/16/2017
The Economist takes another look at Governor John Kasich's presidential campaign and how Bowling Alone helps explain the outcome of the 2016 election
http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21721391-musings-vanquished-republican-moderate-john-kasichs-lament
John Kasich’s lament Musings of a vanquished Republican moderate
06/16/2017
Professor Putnam recently testified at a hearing for United States Senator Mike Lee's Social Capital Project!
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/05/what-if-politicians-studied-the-social-fabric-like-economists-studied-gdp/527976/
What If Politicians Studied the Social Fabric Like Economists Studied GDP? One of Washington’s most conservative legislators on an age of polarization, inequality, and social fragmentation
06/09/2017
Looks like Ben Bernanke just finished reading
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/6/15726988/ben-bernanke-donald-trump-coal-factory-jobs-tax-cuts
Ben Bernanke explains what Donald Trump gets wrong on the economy The former Fed chair talks tax cuts, infrastructure needs, and why coal jobs won’t come back