POLS 207 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Communitarianism, Essentialism, Robert D. Putnam
18 Oct 2016
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Comprehension & study questions: describe the communitarian view of politics. The communitarian view of politics values direct citizen participation in community affairs and working together to solve community problems. This becomes relevant to participation at the local level because their values are centered towards the community rather than higher levels. Some of the positive aspects of communitarianism is there is a grounded view of political and social relationships. This means that there are not abstract citizens and there is a thicker idea of community engagement and belonging. However, with every pro there comes a con and for communitarianism the con is that there is an essentialist idea of community. Social capital is connections made among individuals that created networks and norms, such as: trustworthiness, reciprocity, and willingness to do things for others. Today, there are fewer connections and contacts between social groups. Volunteerism varies among states and individuals due to different aspects, such as: age, education, income, and gender.
