Association

Models of Democratic Order

In their principles of organization, associations are so varied that broad comparisons are difficult to make. They may be governed according to either formal or informal procedures. Associations may be organized either along strictly hierarchical lines or based on more egalitarian principles. Decision-making power may be either centralized in one body or decentralized according to different tasks.

Some scholars suggest that participation in associations is an important element of democratic societies because it inculcates citizens with democratic values. Through experience with the democratic rules that govern membership and representation in many associations, citizens learn to value broader constitutional rules. Through group activities, participation in associations teaches citizens how to engage in public debate and cooperate with one another to accomplish shared goals. Associations help citizens develop basic civic values by teaching them to value public goods in addition to purely private individual interests, by helping them to develop a sense of trust in each other, and by teaching them to value political equality. The nineteenth-century French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville praised the high degree of associational membership in American society as creating an exceptionally high degree of “civic virtue” among American citizens.

Recent literature on civic engagement in the United States highlights a significant decline in the traditional associational life of American citizens since the mid-twentieth century. Most famously, Robert Putnam expressed concern that the decrease in regular face-to-face interaction among individuals through participation in civic associations has produced a tear in the American social fabric. More specifically, whereas civic associations once put Americans in the regular practice of good citizenship, the decline of associational life has eroded Americans' ability to work together to achieve community goals. This rise in individualism has led to increases in crime and political corruption, as well as declines in community and individual health.

More optimistic accounts of modern civic engagement in the United States suggest that news types of affiliations are replacing traditional forms of membership associations. Most prominently, Theda Skocpol argued that associations have not experienced decline but, rather, an evolution into advocacy organizations. An increase in federal and philanthropic funding for associations has decreased the reliance of associations on membership dues. In response, associations have become more professionalized, centralized, and [Page 32]advocacy oriented. Although the new types of organizations do not require active participation by individual members, and some do not have members at all, they are working to bridge class, racial, and gender divides on a national political scale. At the individual level, Skocpol suggested that communication through the Internet may be replacing the face-to-face interaction once provided by membership in civic associations.

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