Civic Responsibility and Patterns of Voluntary Participation Around the World

Bibliographic Data

ID6246367
AuthorsMary Alice Haddad (0000-0003-1504-2142, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume39
Issue10
Pages1220-1242
Publication date2006-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueComparative Political Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0010-4140 • E-ISSN: 1552-3829
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0010414005281937
OpenAlexW2144049493
LanguageEN
Citations received23
References cited29

This article seeks to explain why different types of volunteer organizations are prevalent in different countries. It hypothesizes that patterns of volunteer participation are a function of citizen attitudes toward governmental and individual responsibility for caring for society. Those countries (e.g., Japan)—where citizens think that governments should be responsible for dealing with social problems—will tend to have higher participation in embedded volunteer organizations, such as parent-teacher associations. Those countries (e.g., the United States)—where citizens think that individuals should take responsibility for dealing with social problems—will tend to have more participation in nonembedded, organizations, such as Greenpeace. These hypotheses are tested statistically using membership data from eight organizations in 68 countries. Alternative explanations, such as levels of income, education, urbanization, and prevalence of working women, are also tested. Citizen attitudes about individual and governmental responsibility are best able to explain the prevalence of different types of volunteer organizations found in different countries

Developing country · Economic growth · Economics · Function (biology · Political science · Public relations · Social responsibility · Turnover · Urbanization · Voluntary association · Volunteer · Law · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Social Capital and Networks · Tourism, Volunteerism, and Development

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