Jason Richwine reports on Robert Putnam’s reluctant finding that “the more ethnically diverse a community is, the less social capital it possesses” and suggests that our immigration policies should be altered in favor of preferring skilled immigrants with high IQ’s because

higher IQ people appear to be more morally sophisticated, altruistic, and forward-looking. They exhibit higher levels of civic participation, more strongly adhere to middle-class behavioral standards, and cooperate more readily. This evidence, taken as a whole, confirms that intelligence and social capital are strongly related.

From this perspective, contemporary American immigration policies tend to produce the opposite result. The emphasis on family reunification, “human rights”, diversity, and protecting American workers produces a situation where highly educated people face formidable obstacles to (permanently) relocate to the US.  These “dysgenic” effects are further reinforced by the existence of massive entitlement programs which weaken the link between productivity and rewards.