Associational Performance: The Influence of Cohesion, Decision-Making, and the Environment (original) (raw)

2 3 Associational Performance: The Influence of Cohesion, Decision-Making, and the Environment

The importance of associations in contemporary democratic societies is out of the question. Still, there is a need for a new approach that considers them as a specific and singular organization type, different from business firms and government agencies. There is also a need to evaluate their performance. Based on case studies and diverse theoretical insights, this article lays out some criteria for assessing the effects on associational performance of cohesion, decision-making and relation to environment.

The organizational cohesion and political access of business: a study of comprehensive associations

European Journal of Political Research, 1988

Abstract. This article utilizes an internationally comparative data set to examine the potentiality of comprehensive business associations to define and articulate the interests of business as a whole. We argue that the organizational structures of comprehensive associations - the degree to which they integrate diverse interest areas and they compete with one another- are critical to the degree of probable influence gained in a given country. Using data from seven countries - Austria. Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom - a concept of business cohesion is constructed based on these structural properties. Having differentiated among the countries in terms of the cohesion of business associations, we then relate these differences to variations in the participation of associations in the formulation and implementation of public policy.

Voluntary associations and democratic participation

Innovation RICEC, 2010

The article assumes that voluntary associations are important to promote and sustain democracy not only by advocating democratic causes but through the learning and dissemination of democratic practices. On those grounds, it brings forward an assessment proposal based on the distinction between complex and less-complex organizations. Our main assumption is that the voluntary associations' capacity to promote democracy in society is closely linked to at least four criteria of good performance: effectiveness (related to goal accomplishment), efficiency (related to good use of resources), internal and external legitimacy (mostly related to the way decisions are taken and communicated) and social relevance (related to goal pertinence and social perception). In the assessment proposal referred, they are grouped in three analytical axes: practical, organizational and environmental. From that departure point, the article analyzes some characteristics of associational performance which contribute to a democratic effect on society and on the associations themselves (such as cohesion, cooperation and participation in decisionmaking) or prevent democracy (such as vertical leadership, scarcity of financial resources, members' passiveness and environment uncertainty).

Approche économique du poids des associations

En 2005, le premier compte satellite des institutions sans but lucratif (ISBL) a été réalisé à l'INSEE, selon les normes préconisées par l'ONU. Cet article en présente brièvement la méthodologie avant d'en donner les résultats globaux. Des compléments sont ajoutés sur le travail bénévole et la structure des ressources de l'ensemble des ISBL

The associative sector: typology and economic role

In the common vision, associations should primarily act as a democratic deliberation in order to collectively redefine the common good and rethink the organization of the social game. However, associations play an undeniable economic role, particularly by buying and / or selling products. To maintain their impact in the field of values and democratic rules, the rules of the associations in the economic sphere must be different from other companies. Associations may be classified according to many factors including, for example, their Financing, their role of market regulation and also of employer, based of their place in the different typologies.

The Role of Membership Associations in Shaping Decision-Making to Serving Public Interest

Membership associations are an important societal group that can best represent the public interest, while holding elected officials accountable. Accountants, farmers, activists, and consumers are groups that have a voice and the ability to mobilize a large number of voters. Such groups are not lobbying enough for the interests of their members and the overall public wellbeing. Yet, they have the potential to contribute to the advancement of democracy in Kosovo, in making the Parliament more responsible to the competing interests that these groups represent. How they are organized, how they influence decision-making and defend their agenda, and how they ensure that political decisions do not harm them, are some of the issues addressed in the report and that will be discussed at the roundtable. Their membership base, how are they mobilized, and how we can build common ground between them and political representatives will be discussed in two panels. In the first panel, MPs and variou...

Strategy and Structure in Managing Global Associations

Voluntas, 1999

A key aspect of civil society worldwide is the emergence of thousands of nongovernmental organizations that operate on a global scale. The special challenges of organizing and managing these organizations include massive communications problems and the need to accommodate a wide diversity of interests. In this paper, we ask what kinds of organizational structures and management strategies are utilized by globally oriented nongovernmental organizations involved in the development of civil society, and we consider the advantages and disadvantages of alternative structures. From 15 case studies, we find that three principal types of structures are utilized: corporate partnerships, federations, and membership associations. We also find that management challenges are addressed in various creative ways within these structures, and that the federation form appears to be generally effective and avoids some of the risks associated with other forms.

Associational Politics and Internal Democracy

Journal of Voluntary Action Research, 1975

The task of the present paper is to describe some of the ways in which the goals and motivations of voluntary association members affect the internal politics of such associations. In