A Nation of Organizers: The Institutional Origins of Civic Voluntarism in the United States

Skocpol, Theda; Ganz, Marshall; Munson, Ziad

doi:10.2307/2585829

Cited by 356 publications

(213 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…1 While these are core issues in organizational research, local associations have been examined in only a handful of cases, often relating this to a historical analysis of the period under study (Gamm & Putnam, 1999;Sandell, 2001;Selle & Øymyr, 1992;Skocpol, 2003;Skocpol, Ganz, & Munson, 2000). Thus, we have much less systematic knowledge concerning the operations of such organizations, than e.g.…”

Section: Local Voluntary Associations: Why Should We Care?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This includes, firstly, the literature on social movements and mass membership organizations (Della Porta & Diani, 2005;Skocpol, 2003). Institutional ties from the individual into the political system are decisive if organizations are to express and institutionalize value pluralism in society and create integration out of conflict, and nonpolitical, purely local initiatives are insufficient in order to fill this role (Skocpol, 1999a(Skocpol, , 2003Skocpol et al, 2000). Secondly, deliberative democracy and public sphere theory (Cohen & Arato, 1992) sees civil society is an arena for argument, deliberation, association and collaboration.…”

Section: How? the Dynamics Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Origins of Social Capital: Socialization and Institutionalization Approaches Compared

Wollebæk

Selle

2007

Journal of Civil Society

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Section: Local Voluntary Associations: Why Should We Care?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: How? the Dynamics Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Origins of Social Capital: Socialization and Institutionalization Approaches Compared

Wollebæk

Selle

2007

Journal of Civil Society

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“…A number of scholars have come to conflicting conclusions (e.g. Boyte and Kari 1996;Eckstein 2001;Paxton 1999;Rotolo 1999;Skocpol 1996Skocpol , 1999Skocpol , 2003Weir and Ganz 1997;Skocpol and Fiorina 1999;Skocpol et al 2000;Sirianni and Friedland 2001;Wuthnow 2004), in many cases focusing on the ways that Americans do engage civically. Some of these studies have looked at how disconnected individuals become civically engaged as a means of self-fulfillment (Lichterman 1995(Lichterman , 1996Westphal 2003;Wuthnow 1991Wuthnow , 1998see also McCarthy 1987;Jasper and Poulsen 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stories, Shrines, and Symbols: Recognizing Psycho-Social-Spiritual Benefits of Urban Parks and Natural Areas

Svendsen¹,

Campbell²,

McMillen³

2016

Journal of Ethnobiology

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Executive SummaryWho volunteers to steward the urban forest in New York City and how do volunteer stewards get involved in these activities? This is the second paper in a series that focuses on the social and organizational dynamics of urban environmental stewardship. This paper presents results from research on volunteer stewards at MillionTreesNYC tree planting events in spring and fall 2010, which were sponsored by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization focused on enhancing underused green spaces throughout NYC. Although recent academic and policy studies have focused on the increasingly wide range of organizations working as stewards to conserve, manage, monitor, advocate for, or educate the public about the local environment, it remains unclear how individual citizens get involved in local stewardship initiatives. Such knowledge is needed by professionals working to manage environmental stewardship programs and by anyone seeking to understand better how the human infrastructure of environmental stewardship is established, maintained, and improved.For this study, we surveyed a random sample of adult volunteers who participated in the spring and fall 2010 MillionTreesNYC planting events in parks throughout New York City. The volunteers planted trees and mulched wooded areas during morning and early afternoon hours. The survey included questions about where the volunteers came from to participate, how they heard about the event, with whom they came to the event, what prior connections they had with local environmental stewardship organizations, and their levels of civic/political engagement prior to the event. DemographicsOver half of the respondents of the study were women and most were relatively young (the median age was 30). Volunteer stewards tended to be white and well educated. In comparison to the New York City population as a whole, our sample population contains a greater percentage of whites, females, and highly educated people. These differences held across the spring and fall sample populations and are consistent with national trends in voluntarism. Politics and Civic EngagementPolitically, volunteer stewards tend to be more liberal than the American population. Volunteer stewards reported being engaged in all types of civic and political activities, from voting in an election to signing a petition. In most cases, the volunteer stewards were significantly more engaged in civic and political activities than the American population. This trend held for both the spring and fall sample populations. CSE White Paper I 3 Environmental StewardshipAlthough the majority of the volunteers at the MillionTreesNYC planting events were relatively inexperienced at environmental stewardship activities, roughly one-fifth of them demonstrated a high degree of prior engagement. These experienced volunteers had been to previous tree plantings, were members of local stewardship organizations, and took care of trees at other sites. They showed...

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“…Contrary to the membership approach, scholars like Putnam (2000) and Skocpol, Ganz, and Munson (2000) emphasized the benefits (e. g., social capital, trust, norms) accrued from intense interactions within civic associations. Putnam (2000) believed that frequent face-to-face contact between members helps foster societal trust and cooperative behavior which are essential to the vitality of American democracy.…”

Section: The Intensity Of Organizational Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…He claimed that social capital in the United States is declining, because active voluntary associations are being replaced by growing tertiary organizations (i. e., mailing list) in which members do not interact personally. Skocpol, Ganz, and Munson (2000) took it one step further and proposed that multi-tiered national federations consisting of robust local chapters are key supports of classic American voluntarism because they offer an institutional framework in which nationwide leadership networks are sustained and career lines, resources, and incentives for membership organizers are provided. Individuals participate in civic associations by engaging in or even shaping organizational activities, which include going to meetings where they take part in decision making, planning or chairing a meeting, giving public speeches, among others.…”

Section: The Intensity Of Organizational Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

How do Civic Associations Foster Political Participation? The Role of Scope and Intensity of Organizational Involvement

Zhang

2016

Nonprofit Policy Forum

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This paper investigates factors associated with individuals' decisions in engaging in various modes of political participation, including voting, formal and informal political activities. Two aspects of civic association involvement are highlighted: scope and intensity. Using data from the U.S. Citizenship, Involvement, and Democracy Survey in 2006, we find that one's memberships in civic associations only explain one's participation in formal political activities, but the intensity of involvement, measured by the number of activities one performs at one's most active voluntary association, is positively associated with both formal and informal participation modes. Neither the scope nor the intensity explains voting behavior. The study suggests ways to promote the development of civic associations and enhance democracy.

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A Nation of Organizers: The Institutional Origins of Civic Voluntarism in the United States

Cited by 356 publications

References 30 publications

Origins of Social Capital: Socialization and Institutionalization Approaches Compared

Origins of Social Capital: Socialization and Institutionalization Approaches Compared

Stories, Shrines, and Symbols: Recognizing Psycho-Social-Spiritual Benefits of Urban Parks and Natural Areas

How do Civic Associations Foster Political Participation? The Role of Scope and Intensity of Organizational Involvement

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