Seth D. Kaplan is a leading expert on fragile states. He is a Professorial Lecturer in the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, Senior Adviser for the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), and consultant to multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, U.S. State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and OECD as well as developing country governments and NGOs.
In this episode, we talk about:
The difference between social life in Western versus non-Western countries
How Seth was drawn to the study of fragile states
How strong relationships in a country are correlated with economic development and peace
Why addressing key social problems requires starting at the neighborhood-level
The relationship between life expectancy and one’s neighborhood
The beauty of living in a thriving and close-knit neighborhood
How modern society’s idea of happiness promotes loneliness
On boosting the collective self-efficacy in an area
Five factors that help communities thrive
How religion can play a role in community building
The need for translocal organizations
Cultivating college programs to develop civic leaders
To learn more about Seth’s work, you can find him at: https://sethkaplan.org/
You can order his book Fragile Neighborhoods here: https://www.amazon.com/Fragile-Neighborhoods-Repairing-American-Society/dp/0316521396/
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