Bowling Alone: Revised and Updated: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

If trust breaks down, social relationships break down, and then society depends on law enforcement agencies or some other use of force.

Robert Putnam posited a relationship between trust and the breakdown of community ties,

‘Community connectedness is not just about warm fuzzy tales of civic triumph,’ writes Putnam; ‘In measurable and well-documented ways … social capital makes us smarter, healthier, safer, richer, and better able to govern a just and stable democracy.’