How a Nonprofitness Orientation Influences Collective Civic Action: The Effects of Civic Engagement and Political Participation

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - This research addresses the question of how the institutional frame of “nonprofitness” shapes the civic...     

From Consultation to Participation

Empirical research in the literature on accountability of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) toward their beneficiaries is scarce, and the available studies have a number of limitations. Our study attempts to overcome some of them and focuses on one specific component of accountability toward beneficiaries: beneficiary impact on organizational decision making and output. Data were collected by surveying general managers of 790 Belgian NPOs in fourteen industries. Results show that most NPOs implement some mechanisms to involve beneficiaries and their representatives in organizational policy making, mechanisms that vary between and within industries. Despite the existence of such mechanisms, their perceived association with impact on policy making and associated potential organizational effects is weak, though positive.     

Civic and Political Participation of Children and Adolescents: A Lifestyle Analysis for Positive Youth Developmental Programs

Social participation plays a key role in predicting positive youth development (PYD). As a previous step of this link, this research examined how children and adolescents' relational lifestyles influenced their participation in political and civic activities. This research provides a multi‐dimensional approach to the study of children's social participation, based on six children's lifestyles factors (i.e. family dialogue, risky behaviours, cultural activities, civic values, family supervision and peer group relationships). Using data from an international survey that included 6130 participants (2198 Spanish, 3932 Italian, Mage = 13.8), this study's results show that relational lifestyles (especially family dialogue and out‐of‐school cultural activities) are positively related to political and civic participation among children and adolescents. On the contrary, some peer group relationships decreased their social participation in those key dimensions for PYD. Limitations of the current study, implications for future policy decisions and applications to children social programs are discussed.     

从广场到网络:大学生政治参与的空间转变

我国当代大学生政治参与经历了从广场到网络的空间转变。广场作为表达政治诉求的传统空间,深嵌于有关大学生政治参与的集体记忆,这种记忆在年轻学子表达国族情怀的政治行动中被不断复制。网络的出现为退出广场的大学生提供了新的政治参与空间,大学生网络政治参与也出现了种种嬗变。广场或网络中的大学生政治参与均存在非理性的一面,其理性政治参与的实现,与经济发展、流动机会及政治制度化水平密切相关。     

Pathways to Adolescent Political Participation across Race and Ethnicity

This study assesses impacts of racial/ethnic identification on adolescent civic development to inform interventions to counter civic disconnect on the part of ethnic minority youths. Analyses of 4 years of national Monitoring the Future data find that Black and Latino adolescents hold negative political attitudes and low rates of political behavior. Structural equation models find dissimilarities in paths between political attitudes and behaviors for White, Black, Latino, and Asian adolescents. Findings suggest that political attitudes may operate as precursors to political behavior in different ways across races/ethnicities. Implications for civic interventions and future minority youth civic development research are discussed.     

Immigration and Civic Participation in a Multiracial and Multiethnic Context1

This article seeks to understand civic participation among Asians and Latinos in a multiethnic, multiracial context. We investigate the usefulness of an expanded model of civic engagement, one that makes central factors related to migration, such as length of residence, language acquisition, and citizenship, for groups that include a large number of immigrants. The 1992–1994 Los Angeles Survey of Urban Inequality allows us to test a model of civic participation that incorporates variables previously neglected – migration‐related factors, but also multiracial contexts and interracial ties – to better explain participation differences among a diverse population.     

Community Attachment,Religious Participation,and Quality of Life Satisfaction among Adults Involved in Civic Participation

Civic participation constitutes a range of activities that strengthen participatory democracy, such as voting, volunteerism, association membership, or political and community activism. Factors associated with civic participation are community attachment, religious participation, and quality of life satisfaction. Using a sample of 55 adults, ages 18 to 92 years, the results indicate that this is an engaged sample group in the volunteer arena with high religious attendance, attachment to their communities, and average satisfaction with their quality of life as outcomes of their civic participation.     

Attachment to Community and Civic and Political Engagement: A Case Study of Students

Youth's low level of civic and political engagement may detrimentally affect the health of communities and the democratic system. This paper examines the role of community attachment in explaining youth's levels of civic and engagement. This examination requires an evaluation of existing measures of community attachment and their relevance for understanding youth's experiences. The paper uses a student sample, highlighting a group of youth who have a degree of variation in their experiences of community attachment. We find that subjective measures of community attachment are related to volunteering and voting, but the objective measure of community attachment, that is, years of residence, affects voting and not volunteering. Different mechanisms explain civic engagement versus political engagement. As such, different strategies are required to combat low levels of civic versus political engagement. Le manque d'engagement civique et politique de la jeunesse peut avoir un effet néfaste sur la santé des communautés et sur le système démocratique. Cet article examine le rôle de l'appartenance communautaire pour expliquer le niveau de participation civique et politique des jeunes. Cette recherche nécessite une évaluation des mesures existantes de l'appartenance à une communauté et de leur pertinence pour la compréhension des expériences des jeunes. Cet article se base sur un groupe d'étudiants pour illustrer une population de jeunes avec un niveau d'attachement communautaire variable. Nous avons remarqué que les mesures subjectives de l'attachement à la communauté sont liées au bénévolat et au vote, alors que les mesures objectives de l'attachement, comme la durée de résidence, affecte le vote et non le bénévolat. De différents processus peuvent expliquer l'engagement civique par rapport à l'engagement politique. Ainsi, des stratégies différentes sont nécessaires pour lutter contre la faiblesse des niveaux de participation civique et politique.     

论当代青年的政治参与

在新世纪新阶段,随着各项改革和现代化建设事业的不断推进,青年的政治参与也在不断地变化和发展.这些变化既有经济的原因,也有历史、文化和教育的因素.为此,一定要采取相应的措施,引导青年健康成长.     

Reflections on Women and Political Participation

This article examines the unique role of Women &; Politics within the discipline of political science. A comparison of all of the articles appearing in the "top 15" political science journals with those published in Women &; Politics during the first 12 years of its publication made the magnitude of the difference in focus clear. Nearly one-half of all the female-focused articles published between 1980 and 1991 were published in Women &; Politics. The discipline of political science, has, for the most part, ignored the contributions of feminist epistemology and theory. As a relative newcomer, Women &; Politics is making a significant contribution by addressing the role of women in the political system.     

论以色列阿拉伯人的政治参与

以色列人口中有20%是阿拉伯公民.在2009年2月举行的以色列第18届国会选举中有13名阿拉伯议员当选,在国会中所占的比例远低于其人口比例.这些阿拉伯议员分别来自阿拉伯民族主义政党、以色列共产党和三个犹太复国主义政党.从以色列建国60年来阿拉伯公民参加国会选举的情况分析,阿拉伯公民在以色列的政治参与经历了质与量两方面的变化,即政治自决程度从低到高、从附属走向独立;但同时阿拉伯公民的政治参与度却逐渐走低,尤其是进入21世纪以来甚至降到了很危险的地步.阿拉伯公民对政治现状失去信心和热情,不仅削弱了以色列左翼势力,也在相当程度上影响了以色列国内政局的发展以及中东政策的制定.     

论以色列阿拉伯人的政治参与

以色列人口中有20%是阿拉伯公民。在2009年2月举行的以色列第18届国会选举中有13名阿拉伯议员当选,在国会中所占的比例远低于其人口比例。这些阿拉伯议员分别来自阿拉伯民族主义政党、以色列共产党和三个犹太复国主义政党。从以色列建国60年来阿拉伯公民参加国会选举的情况分析,阿拉伯公民在以色列的政治参与经历了质与量两方面的变化,即政治自决程度从低到高、从附属走向独立;但同时阿拉伯公民的政治参与度却逐渐走低,尤其是进入21世纪以来甚至降到了很危险的地步。阿拉伯公民对政治现状失去信心和热情,不仅削弱了以色列左翼势力,也在相当程度上影响了以色列国内政局的发展以及中东政策的制定。     

Civic Epistemologies: Constituting Knowledge and Order in Political Communities

How do we know things? The question of epistemology – which drives both the sociology and philosophy of science – is also a crucial question for political sociology. Knowledge is essential to even the most basic and foundational of political processes and institutions. In 2000, for example, the transition of power in the US presidential election hung for 36 days on uncertainty over a seemingly simple question of fact: who won the most votes in Florida? A few years later, disputed factual claims about Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction unraveled, calling into question key justifications of the US decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and significantly weakening perceived US legitimacy. Yet, surprisingly, sociologists and political scientists know relatively little about how knowledge gets made in political communities, nor how the making of knowledge is tied to other key aspects of political life, such as identity, authority, legitimacy, and accountability.     

State Legislature Web Sites and Public Participation: Designing a Civic Resource

The chief information technology officers (CTOs) of the 50 state legislatures were surveyed to determine the volume of each of their legislature's Web site use, their preferences of design criteria, their methods of audience evaluation, and the structure of control over site design and content. CTOs reported receiving over 1½ million visitors each week when in session. Use was related to site quality. Content was ranked above interactivity as a design criterion, but there was confusion as to what made a site interactive. Staffs that made an effort to determine audience preferences and focused on external and internal audiences produced higher quality sites. The legislatures' structure of control appeared to be one of only modest centralization.     

The Civic Orientation and Political Assimilation of Latino Immigrant Youth

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, the rapid and unprecedented expansion of the Latino immigrant population has dramatically reshaped the face of American society. Unfortunately, current scholarship on this topic largely overlooks a key cohort: adolescent and young adult Latino immigrants. Our lack of understanding regarding the political inclinations of this population is highly problematic if we wish to know where Latino politics is headed in the coming decades. Data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health are used to systematically explore and test the core assumptions of several competing assimilation theories applied to Latino immigrant youths. Bivariate analyses suggest that young Hispanic immigrants lag behind their non-Latino and Black and White peers in electoral participation and political partisanship, and minimal differences are noted in commitment to key civic orientations. However, regression analyses that include controls for SES and other contextual variables in most cases reveal no differences between young Latino immigrants and their peers in their commitment to political engagement and crucial civic values. On the whole, our findings largely confirm the expectations of mainline assimilation theory and suggest young Latino immigrants are trending toward integration into the national civic community.     

Women,Political Participation,and the Arab Spring: Political Awareness and Participation in Democratizing Tunisia

This research examines the constraints to female political participation in democratizing Tunisia. Analyzing data from the Voter Registration & Voter Confidence Assessment in Tunisia Survey conducted by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in March 2011 shows stark differences between men and women in their levels of political awareness, which causes a barrier to female political participation. Substantiated by a battery of tests, this gap is primarily structured by differences in university-level education and income levels. Contributing factors to explain the gap are differences in the degree of female public presence in urban settings, as opposed to rural areas, and a lack of access to information about politics. Policy recommendations to reduce this gap are creating educational funds for women and increasing the accessibility of political information outside of the capital.     

The Effects of Homeownership on Civic Participation among Immigrant Farmworkers in Washington State

Homeownership is generally considered to have positive benefits for families and communities. However, the collapse of the housing market in 2009 led to questions about this assumption, especially for low‐skilled workers whose employment is volatile. This question is particularly relevant to the farmworker population in rural communities for whom homeownership might function as the first step in the path toward social integration. In this study I ask whether homeownership impacts immigrant adaptation among farmworkers in Washington State. To answer this question researchers analyzed 2,845 responses from the Washington State Farm Worker Survey. I divided the sample into renters and homeowners and evaluated behaviors and attitudes along three dimensions: perceptions of community efficacy, civic engagement, and motivations for civic engagement. I found that when compared with those who rent, farmworkers who are homeowners tend to have a greater sense of community efficacy, are more engaged in their communities, and are more motivated to get involved in local affairs. These findings suggest that homeownership can function as a vehicle for immigrant adaptation among Washington State farmworkers. This bodes well for the future of the state's rural areas, where Latinos are increasingly becoming the majority in many agricultural communities.     

Participation in Bridging and Bonding Associations and Civic Attitudes: Evidence from Flanders

Current scientific research and recent policy initiatives reveal an intense interest in the effect of social capital on a broad range of socioeconomic outcomes both at the individual level (e.g., civic attitudes) and the societal level (e.g., democratic or economic performance). Despite persistent argumentation in this debate that voluntary associations are of crucial importance in this process, empirical research usually reveals but a weak relation between membership and democratic (or civic) attitudes. In this paper, we follow recent arguments that various types of associations may play different roles. Specifically, we empirically distinguish between bridging and bonding associations based on the socioeconomic diversity within an association. Using a dataset on association membership in Flanders, we find empirical support for the view that individuals’ values and attitudes indeed differ across members in (predominantly) bridging or bonding associations.

青年群体非理性政治参与探因及其疏导

政治转型带来整体社会政治架构的变化,同时也深刻影响着政治体系中的核心因子——人的情感取向与行为选择。青年作为思维活跃、求新易变的一个群体,其政治参与行为受外在行为环境变化的影响,凸显出许多问题。尤其是受校园生活社会化与就业压力、文化多元化等多重影响,非理性政治参与在青年的政治参与中占有较大比重。对青年群体非理性政治参与现象及产生的原因进行深入分析,把握问题的症结所在,在此基础上对青年群体的非理性政治参与进行疏导,对社会主义和谐社会建设具有重要的现实意义。