Yes, American Society is a Fragile State Says Seth Kaplan

 

The publication of "Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time" marks the end of years of work by Dr. Seth D. Kaplan. 

Dr. Kaplan. He is a leading expert on fragile states and a lecturer in School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He is also a consultant to multilateral organizations like the World Bank and the U.S. State Department.

His new book is an urgent exploration of why American society is in trouble, and how to fix it, starting with the places we call home.

While a guest on my Neighboring 101 monthly class, Kaplan explained why he wrote the book.

"After being asked repeatedly by people who knew my professional specialty is fragile states whether America was a fragile state too, I felt a need to learn for myself. I spent years reading dozens of books, traveling around the country, asking loads of questions, and exploring how those working on the frontline – in places such as Detroit, Appalachia, Kentucky, and Baltimore – are working to address our problems," said Kaplan.

Kaplan's book concludes that the US is fragile, but not as a state. 

"It’s American society that is in trouble—from gun violence in Baltimore to teens committing suicide in Palo Alto to the opioid crisis in Appalachia. Our families and communities suffer from social problems that shock the rest of the world, and ought to shock us: family disintegration, homelessness, school shootings, racial animosity, skyrocketing rates of loneliness and depression, and deaths of despair—alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide. No country in history has had such material wealth alongside such unprecedented social decay. Our prosperity as a nation doesn’t seem to have improved our well-being. If anything, it has left millions of people and families feeling more alienated and discontented than ever," said Kaplan.

This book does not simply give a diagnosis or laments the problem. Kaplan really does give practical advice to help turn the ship around.

Every time I speak to a group about the changes in our neighborhoods and society is see the despair that comes over the room. So many past attempts to correct the slide has created other problems and a person can be left feeling like more needs to be done.

But the despair comes because this problem can not be fixed by the three tools we have grown use to using: government policy, market strategies and individual resilience. 

In this book, Kaplan argues that we are missing something!

A beautiful society, he argues, requires a focus on neighborhoods. We need to take urgent action to re-weave our fraying social fabric. And that action needs to start at the neighborhood level. 

Kaplan argues that societal flourishing is a reflection of the collective strength of our institutions. Neighborhoods are the most crucial level at which these institutions must be strengthened and revitalized. Factors like life expectancy, crime rates, and student achievements are intricately tied to place. 

His book demonstrates what it practically looks like to move from fragile to flourishing or beautiful neighborhoods through detailed case studies of five organizations. 

If you already live in a healthy neighborhood, do not take it for granted. Keep working to make your neighborhood or community a place where we want to live because their is a social richness.

Genuine prosperity, Kaplan argues, isn't just about individual accomplishments or material affluence. It's about the richness of our shared experiences, the collective norms we uphold, and the communal bonds that help us weather life's storms. Through this lens, Fragile Neighborhoods offers a fresh perspective and an actionable blueprint for fostering more resilient and thriving neighborhoods.