Written by over 200 leading experts from over seventy countries, this handbook provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of the latest theory and research on volunteering, civic participation and nonprofit membership associations. The first handbook on the subject to be truly multinational and interdisciplinary in its authorship, it represents a major milestone for the discipline. Each chapter follows a rigorous theoretical structure examining definitions, historical background, key analytical issues, usable knowledge, and future trends and required research. The nine parts of the handbook cover the historical and conceptual background of the discipline; special types of volunteering; the major activity areas of volunteering and associations; influences on volunteering and association participation; the internal structures of associations; the internal processes of associations; the external environments of associations; the scope and impacts of volunteering and associations; and conclusions and future prospects.
This handbook provides an essential reference work for third-sector research and practice, including a valuable glossary of terms defining over eighty key concepts. Sponsored by the International Council of Voluntarism, Civil Society, and Social Economy Researcher Associations (ICSERA; www.icsera.org), it will appeal to scholars, policymakers and practitioners, and helps to define the emergent academic discipline of voluntaristics.
Introduction
I. HISTORICAL AND CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND
1. History of Associations and Volunteering
2. Theories of Associations and Volunteering
3. Typologies of Associations and Volunteering
4. Leisure and Time Use Perspectives on Volunteering
5. Volunteering as Related to Other Leisure Activities
6. Associations and Social Capital
7. Associations and Social Networks
8. Hybrid Associations and Blurred Sector Boundaries
II. SPECIAL TYPES OF VOLUNTEERING
9. Informal, Unorganized Volunteering
10. Stipended Transnational Volunteering
11. Stipended National Service Volunteering
12. Volunteer Tourism and Travel Volunteering
13. Online-Volunteering and Cyber-Associations
14. Spontaneous Volunteering in Emergencies
15. Formal Volunteer Service Programs
16. Changing Nature of Formal Service Program Volunteering
III. MAJOR ACTIVITY AREAS OF VOLUNTEERING AND ASSOCIATIONS
17. Traditional Philanthropic Service Volunteering
18. Self-Help and Mutual Aid Group Volunteering
19. Participation in Trade and Business Associations
20. Participation in Worker Cooperatives
21. Volunteering in Consumer and Service Cooperatives
22. Volunteering in Religious Congregations and Faith-Based Associations
23. Political Parties and Political Volunteering-Participation
24. Social Movements and Activist-Protest Volunteering
IV. INFLUENCES ON VOLUNTEERING AND ASSOCIATION PARTICIPATION
25. Physiological Correlates of Volunteering
26. Conducive Macro-Contexts Influencing Volunteering
27. Conducive Meso and Micro-Contexts Influencing Volunteering
28. Conducive Social Roles and Demographics Influencing Volunteering
29. Volunteering in Three Life Stages
30. Conducive Motivations and Psychological Influences on Volunteering
31. Theory as a Comprehensive, Interdisciplinary Explanation of Volunteering and Pro-Social Behavior
V. INTERNAL STRUCTURES OF ASSOCIATIONS32. Local or Grassroots Associations: Micro-Associations
33. National and Other Supra-Local Associations: Meso-Associations
34. Trans-National Associations and INGOs: Macro-Associations
35. Governance, Boards, and Internal Structures of Associations
36. Leadership and Management of Associations
37. Life Cycles of Individual Associations
VI. INTERNAL PROCESSES OF ASSOCIATIONS
38. Member Acquisition and Retention in Associations
39. Resource Attraction and Marketing by Associations
40. Avoiding Bureaucratization and Mission Drift in Associations
41. Self-Regulation in Associations
42. Accountability and Social Accounting in Associations
43. Information and Technology for Associations
44. Economics of Associations and Volunteering
VII. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTS OF ASSOCIATIONS
45. Civil Liberties and Freedoms as Association Contexts
46. Pluralism, Corporatism, and Authoritarianism as Association Contexts
47. Legal, Registration, and Taxation Issues of Associations
48. Relationships and Collaboration among Associations
49. Public Perceptions of and Trust in Associations and Volunteers
50. Prevalence Rates of Associations Across Territories
VIII. SCOPE AND IMPACTS OF VOLUNTEERING AND ASSOCIATIONS
51. Scope and Trends of Volunteering and Associations
52. Volunteering Impacts on Volunteers and Association Members
53. Crime, Misconduct, and Dysfunctions in and by Associations
IX. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS
54. Conclusions and Future Prospects
X. APPENDIX
