The Paceline

Long live diversity!
Who ya gonna believe? Google “diversity” and you’ll get 93.1M hits. It’s an idea, a system, an industry, a hope, an argument in waiting.

Lately, it’s getting even more interesting. Is it alive or is it dead? This all started recently at The Saguaro Seminar. In a nutshell, according to renowned Harvard social scientist Robert Putnam, diversity doesn’t really build better communities. His studies show that the more ethnically and religiously diverse a community is, fewer people vote; less volunteer; fewer give to charity; and less work on projects for the good of the community.

But wait, there’s more. Along with a decline in civic engagement, you get an increase in economic and creative innovation. This is actually kind of funny watching the conservatives and liberals switch sides of the diversity table.

For a really good summary of this new look at diversity, immigration, and social capital see Michael Jonas’s story in The Boston Globe , “The Downside of Diversity” on August 5, 2007. Is this a new incovenient truth?

This Putnam guy is one of our nation’s best when it comes to studying and understanding people. He’s met with both Presidents Clinton and Bush. Putnam virtually coined the concept of “social capital” aka “social networks.” His contention that when social networks of friends and associates are in good shape whether in church, around your home, at work, wherever – then you will have a greater number of voting citizens living in safer, healthier communities.

Hmmm….there’s a key. Social networking. Wonder if that concept will ever take off in the 21st century?? In Dallas, The Williams Institute has some very interesting research on social capital and what makes a city healthy and whole.

Maybe the best (and shortest) read on Putnam’s findings is by Daniel Henninger. See “The Death of Diversity” and make up your own mind.

So what’s to be learned with all this new information? Things aren’t always as they seem.