Civic Decline or Civic Shift?

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Frontmatter

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2. 1. Introduction: Mapping Social Capital Thirty Years After Making Democracy Work

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   Paola Bordandini

   Abstract

   This introduction outlines the research framework of the volume, clarifying its aims, theoretical background and empirical references. Social capital is interpreted as civic culture—a collective, value-related resource grounded in a shared sense of moral obligation towards others and institutional government, essential for spontaneous and organised cooperation. This civic disposition is expressed through behaviours such as voting, interest in public affairs, voluntary work, commitment to the common good and responsibility towards others. Published more than thirty years after Making Democracy Work by Putnam, Leonardi and Nanetti (1993), the volume revisits the Italian case to assess how civic culture and participation have evolved in a changing social, economic and political context. Building on that legacy, the book updates and expands the territorial indicators of civic engagement. The chapter closes by outlining the structure and objectives of the book.

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3. 2. Social Capital and Civic Culture in Italy

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   Paola Bordandini

   Abstract

   This chapter defines the concept of social capital adopted throughout the volume and situates it within the long-standing Italian debate on civic culture. Building on Putnam, Leonardi and Nanetti’s (Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy, Princeton University Press, 1993), social capital is conceived as a moral and value-related collective resource that binds individuals to a wider community through a shared sense of civic duty and responsibility. The chapter retraces the Italian research traditions that have shaped the study of civic culture and social capital. It discusses the enduring influence of Banfield’s notion of amoral familism (1958), the seminal contribution of Almond and Verba’s (The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations, Little, Brown, 1963), and later studies on territorial political subcultures and subnational differences in political, economic and civic structures that led to the idea of three, four, or even five “Italies” (Bagnasco, Tre Italie: La problematica territoriale dello sviluppo italiano, Il Mulino, 1977; Caciagli, Polis 3: 429–457, 1988; Cartocci, Polis: ricerche e studi su società e politica in Italia 1: 481–514, 1987; Tullio-Altan, La nostra Italia: Arretratezza socioculturale, clientelismo, trasformismo e ribellismo dall’Unità ad oggi, Feltrinelli, 1986; Trigilia,Grandi partiti e piccole imprese: Comunisti e democristiani nelle regioni, Il Mulino, 1986). It then examines how Cartocci’s (Mappe del tesoro: Atlante del capitale sociale in Italia, Il Mulino, 2007) refined Putnam’s approach by introducing sub-regional indicators of social capital. Finally, the chapter explains how the volume operationalises social capital through five sub-regional indicators—non-profit associations, recreational-cultural and political participation, blood donations and newspaper readership—measured from 2008 to 2022 to trace the evolving geography of civic culture in Italy.

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4. 3. Social Participation and Non-Profit Organisations

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   Stella Volturo, Nicola De Luigi

   Abstract

   This chapter examines the relationship between social participation and social capital in Italy, focusing on the role of non-profit institutions as infrastructures of civic engagement. Social capital is understood here as a relational resource grounded in networks of trust, reciprocity, and shared norms, which facilitate cooperation and contribute to social cohesion. Non-profit institutions are conceptualised as organisational arenas that may generate both bonding and bridging forms of social capital, although this potential is neither automatic nor uniform across contexts. The chapter highlights three key dimensions of complexity: (a) the coexistence of formal and informal modes of participation; (b) the partial decoupling between formal membership and feelings of belonging; and (c) the increasing proximity between non-profit and market-oriented logics. Empirically, the chapter analyses longitudinal and spatial data on the diffusion of non-profit organisations at national, regional, and provincial levels (2011–2021), drawing on ISTAT sources. The findings reveal persistent territorial disparities, particularly between Northern and Southern regions, while also documenting significant growth in several Southern provinces. These patterns suggest that non-profit development reflects broader socio-economic and institutional ecosystems rather than inherent civic dispositions. The chapter argues that understanding such dynamics is crucial for interpreting contemporary transformations in civic cultures.

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5. 4. Recreational and Cultural Participation

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   Marialuisa Villani, Mario Trifuoggi, Riccardo Prandini

   Abstract

   The chapter explores recreational and cultural participation as constitutive dimensions of social capital and civicness, with particular attention to connections that bridge social, generational, and territorial divides. It examines sport first, highlighting associations as contexts that cultivate trust, cooperation, and civic competences when activities are embedded in participatory, educationally rich environments. It then reframes cultural participation as intentional, reflective practice—across offline and digitally mediated settings—through which cultural capital translates into collective capacities and shared meanings; choirs are presented as emblematic arenas of inclusive, bridge-building sociability. Adopting a territorial lens, the chapter maps how sporting and cultural ecologies coexist and interact, while acknowledging discontinuities in available sources and the implications these have for comparative readings. Its contribution is to integrate sport and culture within a single civic framework and clarify the mechanisms—education, shared spaces, associational routines—through which participation supports social inclusion. Overall, the chapter provides a joined-up account that links everyday participatory practices to broader patterns of civicness and territorial cohesion, and shows how associational infrastructures can sustain inclusive, outward-looking communities.

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6. 5. Political Participation and Social Capital

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   Luca Bortolotti, Mario Trifuoggi

   Abstract

   This chapter examines political participation as a key component of social capital in democratic societies. Following the tradition of Putnam’s Making Democracy Work, political participation reflects not only the pursuit of interests but also a civic sense that sustains institutional efficiency and social cohesion. In Italy, the crises of political parties and ideologies have transformed both the forms and meanings of participation: the decline of traditional engagement, such as voting or party membership, has been accompanied by the rise of new, hybrid modes, including social movements and civic activism. These changes challenge researchers to reconsider the contemporary relevance of social capital indicators measuring political participation, such as electoral turnout and newspaper readership, vis-à-vis their capacity to represent today’s civic culture. In this chapter, we take up this challenge by empirically analysing their evolution across Italian provinces between 2008 and 2024. We find that, although their salience has diminished due to social and technological changes (e.g., growing abstentionism, digital information flows), electoral turnout and newspaper readership continue to delineate a consistent geography of regional disparities in Italy’s social capital, while enriching a diachronic perspective grounded in previous studies.

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7. 6. Blood Donations

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   Marialuisa Villani, Alessandro Martelli

   Abstract

   The chapter examines blood donation as a distinctive form of altruism and civic engagement that sustains social bonds and signals bridging social capital. It reviews classic and contemporary debates on giving, prosocial and personal norms, and the organisational-policy architecture that governs donation, indicating how anonymity, regulation and indirect reciprocity differentiate blood from conventional gift exchange while connecting it to civicness and shared responsibility. Empirically, the chapter assembles and harmonises secondary evidence from national and regional transfusion authorities, integrating regional and provincial series to describe territorial patterns and long-term dynamics. The analysis points to persistent yet shifting geographies of participation, with consolidation in several centre-south areas alongside stability or mild decline in parts of the north, and it notes exemplary local ecosystems in which associations, institutions and educational networks appear to cultivate sustained engagement. The chapter’s contribution is to connect theory, institutions and territory within a single framework, outlining how organisational infrastructures and civic norms may translate individual altruism into collective capacity. It ends by identifying place-aware implications for practice and setting an agenda to examine how organisational arrangements interact with local contexts to sustain participation.

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8. 7. A Geography of Social Capital in Italy 2008–2022

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   Paola Bordandini, Luca Bortolotti

   Abstract

   This chapter provides a diachronic analysis of social capital in Italy from 2008 to 2022, a period marked by economic and pandemic crises. We construct a provincial-level index based on indicators of social and political participation, two dimensions that exhibit divergent trends: the substantial stability or growth in the former contrasts with the sharp decline in the latter. Acknowledging a new complexity in citizen-politics relations, highlighted by the low correlation of voter turnout with other indicators, we propose a novel dual-index approach, considering alongside the “classical” index, a “critical” one that excludes electoral participation. A comparison with the data of the seminal studies of Putnam et al. (Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy, Princeton University Press, 1993) and Cartocci (Mappe del tesoro. Atlante del capitale sociale in Italia, Il Mulino, 2007) confirms the persistence of the traditional North-South divide. However, our analysis also reveals an internal reshaping within the North and, especially, the former red areas, characterized by a relative decline of metropolitan centers. This points to a more heterogeneous and dynamic distribution of social capital than previously documented.

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9. 8. Social Capital, GDP and Quality of Services

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   Paola Bordandini, Luca Bortolotti

   Abstract

   This chapter examines the interrelationships between social capital, GDP per capita, and a multi-dimensional index of quality of public services in Italian provinces from 2008 to 2022. The analysis confirms that these three dimensions are positively correlated, suggesting a mutually reinforcing “virtuous circle”, a finding already highlighted in the literature. However, the strength of these associations has declined compared to previous studies, exhibiting a further slight decrease in the period we analyse. The link between social capital and GDP, while positive, has weakened and shows signs of a curvilinear relationship, possibly indicating a “defensive growth” dynamic where economic gains in wealthy areas may come at the expense of social cohesion. Similarly, the correlation between social capital and quality of services has decreased over time. The analysis extends beyond these core relationships, adopting preliminary regression models to demonstrate the significant role of these three factors in promoting social sustainability and cohesion, evidenced by their impact on reducing gambling, improving women’s quality of life, and encouraging donations toward municipality governments. The findings suggest that investing in social capital and promoting integrated policies that consider its interlinkages with economic development and quality of services are crucial for building more cohesive and sustainable communities.

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10. 9. Cohesion and Social Capital

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    Riccardo Prandini, Marialuisa Villani

    Abstract

    The chapter maps the evolution of the concept of social cohesion across scholarly and institutional arenas. It shows how cohesion operates with a dual status: analytically fragile in research debates yet powerful in policy communication, where it condenses concerns about order, integration and collective welfare. The discussion reviews major trajectories, from foundational reflections on social order and solidarity to contemporary frameworks that operationalise cohesion through multidimensional indicator sets, while noting persistent ambiguity and the recurrent conflation of aims, measures and outcomes. It then clarifies approaches to operationalisation by distinguishing ideational and relational components and horizontal and vertical dimensions, and surveys efforts to construct composite indices. Turning to its relationship with social capital, the chapter presents competing positions that either fold capital into cohesion or treat them as distinct but associated constructs, with implications for debates on exclusion, migration and education. It concludes that cohesion remains conceptually under-specified and normatively loaded, whereas research on social capital appears more internally consistent. The chapter’s contribution is to synthesise these trajectories and specify where cohesion and social capital intersect, diverge and remain indeterminate, providing clearer terms for analysis and use.

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11. 10. Social Sustainability and Social Capital

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    Stella Volturo, Alessandro Martelli

    Abstract

    This chapter examines the social dimension of sustainability by situating it within the broader debate on sustainable development and by highlighting the analytical relevance of social capital as a conceptual bridge between social cohesion, equity, participation and collective well-being. While environmental and economic dimensions have historically dominated discussions on sustainability, the chapter shows how social sustainability has progressively emerged as a distinct and complex field of inquiry, shaped by cultural orientations, everyday practices and institutional arrangements. Drawing on recent theoretical developments, social sustainability is conceptualised as grounded in four interrelated pillars—equity, well-being, participation and social capital—whose interactions produce the conditions for inclusive and cohesive communities. Within this framework, social capital is understood not only as a relational resource embedded in networks of trust and reciprocity but also as a structuring factor that enables belonging and democratic engagement. The chapter argues that a social capital perspective allows for an operationalization of social sustainability by clarifying how social systems foster cooperation, reduce exclusion and support shared capacities for shaping the future. It concludes by calling for further empirical work to develop analytical approaches capable of capturing the dynamic interplay between social relations, institutional settings and sustainable development trajectories.

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12. 11. Conclusions

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    Paola Bordandini, Luca Bortolotti, Nicola De Luigi, Alessandro Martelli, Riccardo Prandini, Marialuisa Villani, Mario Trifuoggi, Stella Volturo

    Abstract

    This concluding chapter synthesizes the volume’s findings to assert the enduring relevance of social capital for Italian democracy. It confirms the persistence of the traditional North-South divide while revealing a significant internal reorganization: a relative decline in major metropolitan areas and the former “red regions,” now overtaken by the Northern special-statute regions and the rest of the North-East. To better capture this complex shift of civic engagement, where political disaffection does not necessarily equate to a decline of civicness, the volume introduces a key methodological innovation: the construction of two distinct indices: a “classical” one and a “critical” one excluding electoral turnout. While social capital remains positively linked to economic development and public service quality, these correlations have weakened. The analysis depicts social capital as a foundational element for social cohesion and sustainability, demonstrating its significant impact, both theoretical and empirical, in reducing social isolation and fostering inclusion. While grounded in territorial data, the chapter opens new avenues for research into the interplay betweenbridging, bonding, and network forms of social capital with social inequality and societal well-being. Ultimately, this is a call to action: investing in social capital is indispensable for building cohesive and sustainable communities.

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13. Backmatter

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