Making Democracy Work

Some democracies thrive while others stumble, and this study sets out to explain the difference. Robert Putnam, working with Robert Leonardi and Raffaella Nanetti, draws on systematic evidence gathered from one natural laboratory: the decision in 1970 to give each Italian region its own elected government. Over roughly twenty years, the authors tracked how those regional administrations performed in areas such as farming, public housing and healthcare.

The authors found that the regions with the strongest results shared certain habits. Their residents joined groups and associations, extended trust to one another, and cooperated in public life, and these patterns helped institutions function well and supported economic growth. The work reached an audience well beyond the academy, catching the attention of policymakers and civic organizers in the United States and elsewhere.