Social capital and political participation in Britain

About

The work of American political scientist Robert Putnam on the decline of civic community in America has stimulated a series of debates on the problem of political apathy in Western democracies. The concern centers on the growing number of citizens who are failing to participate in social and political life and who are increasingly expressing disillusionment with political institutions and public officials. This seminar will examine evidence from Britain and will show how social capital has been changing both quantitatively and qualitatively in the past forty years and the implications of this for political participation and political trust.