Caring for those we love is understandable, but exactly what enables people to care for strangers? This paper draws on an analysis of data from the study of time-diaries (ABS' Time Use Surveys) to examine the connection between sociability and care. Using information on the behaviour of carers, the authors' findings are consistent with the...

Robert Putnam's influential book about 'social capital', Bowling Alone, uses volunteering as an index of civic participation and argues that the imminent decline of volunteering signals a potential crisis for democracy. Volunteering: The Human Face of Democracy by Jennifer Wilkinson and Michael Bittman challenges the assumptions underpinning Putnam's ideas.