Search results for "Voluntary association"

Voluntary associations and trust in Finland

2009

The article is an empirical study of the hypothesis put forward in theories of social capital, according to which voluntary associations have a positive e ect on trust in people. The central research question of the article is: are association memberships or active participation related to trust towards people in Finland? Looking at the number of association memberships and association registrations shows that association life has been active in Finland. The international comparison shows that particularly in the Nordic countries, people participate in associations on a vast scale. However, it is also important to note that while the old politicalideological associations have lost some of t…

Associational Activeness and Attitudes towards Political Citizenship in Finland from a Comparative Perspective

2009

This article first focuses on the development of the system of associations and association memberships in Finland as well as additional forms of political participation from a comparative perspective and, second, expands the examination by analysing ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’ dimensions of participation, i.e., the development of the number of Finnish association memberships and people's ideas of, and attitudes towards political citizenship. The typology of polity regimes adopted in this article (Schofer & Fourcade-Gourinchas) functions as a structuring scheme for understanding the differentia specifica of Finnish political participation. Two structural characteristics of the civil societ…

Social Movements, Voluntary Associations and Cycles of Protest in Finland 1905-91

1992

During the 20th century five cycles of protest have emerged in Finland: 1905-18, 1928-32, 1944-48, 1966-76, and the continuing cycle of new social movements beginning around the end of the 1970s. This article begins with an examination of the differences and similarities in the formation of these cycles against the background of antecedent political opportunity structures. The question of the relationship between social protest movements and formal voluntary associations is then addressed. It is shown that social movements and formal voluntary associations have been interactive, mutually reinforcing ways of reacting to different manifestations of social crisis. Existing formal associations …

Interest, Voluntary Associations and the Stability of the Political System

1985

In this article the adequacy of the sociological paradigm in voluntary associ ations' research is investigated by comparing it with its nval, the incor poration or system integration paradigm (types 1 and 2) and with two approaches that are their combinations: multi-dimensional theones of disper sion and cross-cutting of interests (type 3) and multi-dimensional theories of incorporation and system integration of interests (type 4). I express the view that by themselves both pluralism and incorporation paradigms are , unable to depict the complex system of political stability. An adequate theory must contain elements of two dimensions of maintaining stability: firstly, the idea of dispersion…

Immigrant Involvement in Voluntary Associations in Europe

2012

This paper measures the impact of immigration on migrants' involvement in associations across Europe. Using multilevel analysis on European Social Survey (ESS) data, we address three questions: Are immigrants likely to become members in voluntary associations? Does this likelihood change with the length of stay in the host country? Does the type of the association make a difference? The findings show that the likelihood of migrants participating in associations increases with the length of stay, while second-generation migrant participation is similar to that of the host society. The relation is stronger for expressive associations and weaker for instrumental-utilitarian ones, while religio…

Local interest groups and the perception of power in Spanish cities

2018

Studies on local interest groups have generated a considerable number of theories on urban power that have eventually become the basis of far-reaching approaches on democracy and collective action. Such literature has been especially concerned with discovering who governs the city, paving the way for discussions on elitism, pluralism and urban regimes. Some approaches consider that the business elite dominates local politics, while other theories assert that interests other than business (neighbors, environmentalists, faith-based organizations, civic groups) have been gaining relevance and access to local government. The POLLEADER survey (2006) provided data on the influence of certain soci…

Verkostot, paikallisuus ja eriarvoisuus

2012

How to make head or tail of ‘bridging’ and ‘bonding’?: addressing the methodological ambiguity1

2008

A distinction has recently been proposed between bridging (or encompassing) and bonding (or inward-looking) social networks. However, existing theoretical contributions remain vague as to the fundamental meaning of both concepts. As a consequence, two distinct interpretations have developed alongside each other. In the present paper, we employ data on voluntary association membership in Flanders to empirically illustrate that both approaches can lead to substantially different outcomes and therefore appear to tap into different dimensions of bridging versus bonding. These findings underline the problematic nature of the current conceptual ambiguity. We conclude that should the bridging/bond…

Sosiaalisen pääoman varjopuolet?

2011

Tämän kirjoituksen tarkoitus on esittää joitakin huomioita ja esimerkkejä sosiaalisen pääoman mahdollisista kielteisistä seurauksista. En syvenny laajasti sosiaalisen pääoman määrittelykysymyksiin. Lähtökohtaisesti otan kuitenkin sen kannan, että sosiaalisen pääoman lähteet (verkostot, instituutiot jne.) voivat tuottaa myös kielteisiä seurauksia. Usein sosiaalista pääomaa on lähestytty erilaisten ruusuisten kehien ja myönteisten funktioiden kautta. Sosiaalisen pääoman seuraukset voivat tietenkin myös vaihdella kontekstin mukaan. nonPeerReviewed

Osallistumisen ongelma

2010