Civil society's democratic potential : organizational trade-offs between participation and representation / Nicole Bolleyer

Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 279-303 Seiten, Register

A multidimensional framework on civil society's contributions to democracy

The distinct internal logics of associations and professionalized voluntary organizations

Methodological choices and data

The distinct roles of members in civil society organizations : trading member control against leader autonomy

When managers take over : drivers of staff control in civil society organizations

From voluntary association to professionalized voluntary organization : the evolution of member activism and staff control in civil society organizations

CSO goal reorientation in individualizing societies : between commitment and change

CSOs' political engagement : between the logic of membership and the logic of influence

From voluntary association to professionalized voluntary organization : CSO goal reorientation and the evolution of political engagement

Disaggregating the transmission belt and the study of CSOs' democratic contributions

Open access.

In Civil Society's Democratic Potential, Nicole Bolleyer explores which civil society organizations (CSOs) contribute to democracy, how, and why. Organized civil society, including interest groups, political parties, and service-oriented associations, is traditionally considered a cornerstone of democracy. Constituting the organizational fabric between government and society, these organizations encompass a wide diversity of entities thought to fundamentally contribute to both democratic participation and representation. However, CSOs' readiness and ability to serve as venues for participation, vehicles of democratic representation, or indeed both at the same time, are increasingly questioned in political science, sociology, and voluntary sector research alike. Bringing those fields together, the author argues that two contrasting organizational templates - the 'voluntary association' and the 'professionalized voluntary organization' - allow theorizing fundamental trade-offs shaping CSOs' 'performance' on three dimensions accounting for their varying democratic contributions: participation, representation, and societal responsiveness. The study's innovative theoretical framework is examined using a mixed-methods design. The latter combines the analysis of survey data covering over 3000 CSOs across four European democracies with qualitative case studies of the evolution of three CSOs - a political party, an interest group, and a service-orientated organization - over several decades.