Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy

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Princeton University Press, 1994 M05 27 - 280 pages

Why do some democratic governments succeed and others fail? In a book that has received attention from policymakers and civic activists in America and around the world, Robert Putnam and his collaborators offer empirical evidence for the importance of "civic community" in developing successful institutions. Their focus is on a unique experiment begun in 1970 when Italy created new governments for each of its regions. After spending two decades analyzing the efficacy of these governments in such fields as agriculture, housing, and health services, they reveal patterns of associationism, trust, and cooperation that facilitate good governance and economic prosperity.

 

Contents

Introduction Studying Institutional Performance
3
Changing the Rules Two Decades of Institutional Development
17
Measuring Institutional Performance
63
Explaining Institutional Performance
83
Tracing the Roots of the Civic Community
121
Social Capital and Institutional Success
163
Research Methods
187
Statistical Evidence on Attitude Change among Regional Councilors
193
Institutional Performance 19781985
198
Regional Abbreviations Used in Scattergrams
200
Local Government Performance 19821986 and Regional Government Performance 19781985
201
Traditions of Civic Involvement 18601920
205
Notes
207
Index
249
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About the author (1994)

Robert D. Putnam is Dillon Professor of International Affairs and Director of the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. His many books include Hanging Together: The Seven-Power Summits (Harvard). Robert Leonardi is Jean Monnet Lecturer in European Community Politics at the London School of Economics, and Raffaella Y. Nanetti is Professor of Urban Planning and Policy Analysis at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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