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Why social capital matters

Patron’s Lecture 2025
Replay
24 Mar 2025 | 06:00 pm – 07:15 pm | GMT Standard Time
RSA House and online
Community and place-based action Economy Health & wellbeing Social connections

Join us for the annual RSA Patron’s Lecture.

This year’s keynote speaker is world-renowned political scientist Robert D. Putnam, author of the groundbreaking work Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, which has shaped global conversations on the importance of communal ties and social capital.

Robert Putnam will be speaking to us about the vital role of social connections in combating the deepening crises of social isolation, political polarization, and economic inequality, drawing on insights from his latest work The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again.

Divisions can be healed, he argues. Our fraying social fabric rewoven. By focusing on rebuilding society’s relational foundations, we can create a future where everyone has the connections they need to thrive.

Following his keynote address, Professor Putnam will be joined in conversation by RSA CEO Andy Haldane, and partners from the first-of-its-kind Revealing Social Capital research programme, which is exploring how connectedness impacts life outcomes and opportunities across the UK, from social mobility to health and education.

Chair:

  • Andy Haldane, RSA CEO

Speakers:

  • Sir Nick Clegg, President of Global Affairs, Meta
  • Robert D. Putnam, Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University
  • Marnie Freeman, co-founder and director, Neighbourly Lab
  • Sarah Hemminger, co-founder and CEO, Thread

Robert D. Putnam

Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University
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Sir Nick Clegg

President, Global Affairs, Meta
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Marnie Freeman

co-founder and director, Neighbourly Lab
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