Harvard professor values social capital in society

Harvard professor Robert Putnam believes that social connections are more valuable than college… Harvard professor Robert Putnam believes that social connections are more valuable than college degrees.

Putnam, a professor of public policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, spoke to about 150 people in the ballroom of the University Club on Friday about the importance of social capital in society during his lecture, titled “Social Capital and Equality.”

The author of a number of famous books on political science — most notably “Bowling Alone” and “Making Democracy Work” — came to present to his guests the idea of social capital. Putnam defined social capital as social connections with others, and he explained how valuable these connections can be to the economy and society’s well-being.

When it comes to jobs, Putnam acknowledged that tools and training are important, but he said that most people are hired because they hear about positions from friends of friends.

“The value of friends is greater than the value of your degree,” he said.

Putnam also remarked that it has been proven that a socially isolated person’s health over his lifetime is roughly equivalent to the health of a lifetime smoker.

“Your chances of dying within the next 12 months are cut in half by joining one social group,” he said.

Putnam emphasized to younger audience members that his subject, social capital, “is a crucially important public-policy issue for the rest of your life.”

Yet the political scientist also took a moment to emphasize that not all social networks are positive. Putnam used al-Qaida as an example of a negative social network.

Putnam said that social isolation has increased during this recession, as it did during the Great Depression. The increased social isolation can and has, in Putnam’s opinion, caused income inequality and social trust of one another to decline. He said that the U.S. needs first to develop social capital before it can fix the problem of income inequality that the country currently faces.

Although he noted that “it’s not fair,” Putnam said that it’s a fact that people’s overall lifetime success can be predicted by how successful their parents were. Middle class parents are able to spend more time with their kids, whereas working class family time is often disrupted by economic anxiety, Putnam said. Putnam believes that the government should focus more on this problem.

Maggie O’Brien, a second-year master’s GSPIA student, has read a number of Putnam’s works.

“[Putnam’s] kind of famous in the realm of political science,” she said.

Najeeb Shafiq, an assistant professor at Pitt’s School of Education, said Putnam writes with ease about his topics.

“It’s so dense, but it’s so well crafted,” Shafiq said.

Maureen Porter, an associate professor of anthropology at the School of Education, agreed with Shafiq.

“He takes complex ideas and makes them easily accessible,” Porter said.

David Miller, the director of the Center for Metropolitan Studies at GSPIA, invited Putnam to participate in the Wherrett Lecture Series on Local Government, which has historically “brought scholars and thinkers” to Pitt. The Wherrett Lecture Series focuses on problems of local government.

Miller said that Putnam was an appropriate speaker because he is “cutting-edge” and “changing culture.”

The lecture at Pitt worked out for the weekend because Putnam was planning on running in the Great Race with his grandchildren on Sunday.

Porter emphasized her interest in Putnam’s work, although she’s not doing research in his specific field of studies. Porter is an anthropologist, and her friend Shafiq is an economist.

“[We’re] both sitting here because we’re drawn to his work,” Porter said.