The Loci of Power and Connection
A framework for exploring the democratic relationships of civil society organisations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13010366 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mark Riboldi (0000-0001-8241-604X, University of Technology Sydney, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 244-263 |
| Publication date | 2024-05-29 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Interest Groups & Advocacy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2047-7414 • E-ISSN: 2047-7422 |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1057/s41309-024-00209-7 |
| OpenAlex | W4399124257 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 34 |
This article constructs a framework for understanding the activities of interest groups and other civil society organisations (CSOs) in relation to their democratic connections with people and communities. This is achieved by considering whether CSOs engage with people in terms of decision-making in a manner that is centralised or decentralised , counterposed with the nature of the connection, be it relational or transactional. The resulting LOPAC (Loci of Power and Connection) framework highlights four types of CSO activity, each of which has potential democratic utility and drawbacks: (1) Bare Essentials —decentralised engagement, transactional connection; (2) Crowd Control —centralised engagement, transactional connection; (3) Honeycomb —decentralised engagement, relational connection; and (4) Closed Doors —centralised engagement, relational connection. The framework is connected to key discussions within the literature, in particular around the legitimacy of CSOs, how CSOs act as transmission belts for citizens’ interests to reach those in power, and the ongoing professionalisation of the sector. The framework aims to assist scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to understand the democratic implications of the complex decisions that CSOs make on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, the framework aids in understanding what areas CSOs can focus on when they find that their modes of engagement are inadvertently having impacts contrary to their democratic aims
Civil society · Democracy · Legitimacy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Public relations · Sociology · Transactional leadership · Law · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Public Administration · Social Capital and Networks
The careless society
Crowdsourced Politics
Power in Coalition
Democracy and Interest Groups
The Emergence of Hybrid Organizational Forms
Diminished Democracy
Participation and Democratic Theory
Why Democracy Is Oppositional
The Life and Death of Democracy
How Organizations Develop Activists
Fugitive Democracy
Deliberative Democracy and Beyond
Connecting Society and Policymakers? Conceptualizing and Measuring the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations to Act as Transmission Belts
The Participatory and Democratic Potential and Practice of Interest Groups
A Ladder Of Citizen Participation
Deliberation before the Revolution
Member Influence and Involvement in Civil Society Organizations
Organizations and the Democratic Representation of Interests
Civil society – Politically engaged or member-serving? A governance perspective
Pluralism Revisited
Government performance and dissatisfaction with democracy in Australia
Dark money and opaque politics
Bowling Alone
The Organizational Roots of Political Activism
Scaling Social Movements Through Social Media
Introduction to Social Media, Activism, and Organizations
Associations and Democracy
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |