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, acclaimed political scientist and bestselling author 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 healthcare, they reveal patterns of associationism, trust, and cooperation that facilitate good governance and economic prosperity. The result is a landmark book filled with crucial insights about how to make democracy work.

Awards and Recognition
Winner of the 1994 Charles H. Levine Memorial Book Prize
Winner of the 1994 Gregory Luebbert Award
Winner of the 1993 Louis Brownlow Book Award, National Academy of Public Administration
Honorable Mention for the 1993 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Government and Political Science, Association of American Publishers

Too old, Read several chapters, didn't make any points

remembered something from when it was first published (early 1990s), re-read after it was discussed within a course on organizational analysis from Stanford that I viewed on Coursera

seen from an Italian perspective, and 20 years after it was published, it is interesting how some of the analysis about the first 20 years (now 40) of an institutional reform (turning a promise within the Italian Constitution to bring decision-making closer to the voters) evolved

I could list other books worth reading along this one- but just search on my catalog for the keyword "Italy" (or contact me if you have specific interests or needs, of what you are interested in is available only in Italian and you would like a summary, that I will share online) ( )

"Este libro nos ofrece profundos argumentos y múltiples hechos empíricos que respaldan la importancia de la comunidad civil en el desarrollo de instituciones exitosas". ( )