ABSTRACT
Associations can be large or small; rich or poor; paragons of direct democracy or dominated by an unelected autocratic chair; their primary concern may be serving the ‘sectional’ interests or needs of members or they may seek to ‘promote’ or defend collective causes or alleviate the plight of others (via advocacy or service delivery); they may have good access to – or be dependent – on public money, or have to rely solely on income from private sources etc. In short, the associational beast is truly multifaceted. Accordingly, much academic research and literature has (rightly and properly) been devoted to examining the various aspects of associational structures, activities and outputs. However, in addition to investigating the diversity of such organizational features, it is also crucial to explore an organization’s prime concern: its main thematic orientation. If (mobilized) citizens are asked about the types of organizations they are members of, they are unlikely to respond by saying that it is an internally democratically pure or oligarchically-run group, or that it is heavily dependent on government funding or relies wholly on private income. The more probable answer would be a soccer or tennis club, religious congregation, or a bird-watching group etc.1 The principal reason for joining is an interest in the core organizational activity.
