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

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  • Skocpol, Theda
  • Ganz, Marshall
  • Munson, Ziad

Abstract

We challenge the widely held view that classic American voluntary groups were tiny, local, and disconnected from government. Using newly collected data to develop a theoretically framed account, we show that membership associations emerged early in U.S. history and converged toward the institutional form of the representatively governed federation. This form enabled leaders and members to spread interconnected groups across an expanding nation. At the height of local proliferation, most voluntary groups were part of regional or national federations that mirrored the structure of U.S. government. Institutionalist theories suggest reasons for this parallelism, which belies the rigid dichotomy between state and civil society that informs much current discussion of civic engagement in the United States and elsewhere.

Suggested Citation

  • Skocpol, Theda & Ganz, Marshall & Munson, Ziad, 2000. "A Nation of Organizers: The Institutional Origins of Civic Voluntarism in the United States," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 94(3), pages 527-546, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:94:y:2000:i:03:p:527-546_22
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    Cited by:

    1. Pierre Garaudel, 2020. "Exploring meta-organizations’ diversity and agency: A meta-organizational perspective on global union federations," Post-Print halshs-02474817, HAL.
    2. Edward Walker, 2005. "The Influence of Organizational Structure, Membership Composition and Resources on the survival of Poor People’s Social Movement Organizations," Working Papers id:23, eSocialSciences.
    3. Andrew Savage & Jonathan Isham & Christopher McGrory Klyza, 2003. "The Changing Composition and Influence of Land-Based Groups: Evidence from Two Counties in Vermont," Middlebury College Working Paper Series 0306, Middlebury College, Department of Economics.
    4. Christopher McGrory Klyza & Andrew Savage & Jonathan Isham, 2004. "Local Environmental Groups, the Creation of Social Capital, and Environmental Policy: Evidence from Vermont," Middlebury College Working Paper Series 0407, Middlebury College, Department of Economics.
    5. Haveman, Heather A. & Habinek, Jacob & Goodman, Leo A., 2010. "The Press and the Public Sphere: Magazine Entrepreneurs in Antebellum America," Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Working Paper Series qt7f90p6rq, Institute of Industrial Relations, UC Berkeley.
    6. Olivia Patterson & Frederick Weil & Kavita Patel, 2010. "The Role of Community in Disaster Response: Conceptual Models," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 29(2), pages 127-141, April.
    7. Alberto Alesina & Edward Glaeser & Bruce Sacerdote, 2001. "Why Doesn't the US Have a European-Style Welfare System?," NBER Working Papers 8524, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Sean Lauer & Miu Chung Yan, 2022. "Social Infrastructure and Social Capacity Development Among Newcomers to Canada: the Role of Neighborhood Houses in Vancouver," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 911-929, June.
    9. Hahrie Han & Jae Yeon Kim, 2022. "Civil Society, Realized: Equipping the Mass Public to Express Choice and Negotiate Power," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 699(1), pages 175-185, January.
    10. Miguel, Edward A. & Gertler, Paul & Levine, David I., 2003. "Did Industrialization Destroy Social Capital in Indonesia?," Center for International and Development Economics Research, Working Paper Series qt9kt2m860, Center for International and Development Economics Research, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley.
    11. Han, Hahrie & Andrews, Kenneth T. & Ganz, Marshall Louis & Baggetta, Matthew, 2011. "The Relationship of Leadership Quality to the Political Presence of Civic Associations," Scholarly Articles 8065967, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    12. Margit Mayer, 2003. "The onward sweep of social capital: causes and consequences for understanding cities, communities and urban movements," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(1), pages 110-132, March.
    13. Alberto Alesina & Edward Glaeser & Bruce Sacerdote, 2001. "Why Doesn't The US Have a European-Style Welfare State?," Harvard Institute of Economic Research Working Papers 1933, Harvard - Institute of Economic Research.
    14. Garaudel, Pierre, 2020. "Exploring meta-organizations’ diversity and agency: A meta-organizational perspective on global union federations," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(1).
    15. Dutta, Sunasir, 2019. "Seeing Parochially and Acting Locally," OSF Preprints stvd7, Center for Open Science.
    16. Brian Obach & Kathleen Tobin, 2014. "Civic agriculture and community engagement," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(2), pages 307-322, June.
    17. Jacob M. Grumbach & Jamila Michener, 2022. "American Federalism, Political Inequality, and Democratic Erosion," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 699(1), pages 143-155, January.
    18. Andrew Savage & Christopher McGrory Klyza & Jonathan Isham, 2004. "The Greening of Social Capital: An Examination of Land-Based Groups in Two Vermont Counties," Middlebury College Working Paper Series 0306r, Middlebury College, Department of Economics.

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