ABSTRACT
To link voluntary associations with public policy in any country is to link voluntary associations with the polity and with the citizen. This chapter offers some preliminary results of a larger study conducted by the author in 1976-1977 on the function of voluntary associations in Poland. The problem-solving capacity of voluntary associations is considered to be merely "auxiliary" by both polity and citizen. These associations can and do provide state institutions with specialized information necessary for the formulation of policy. A better means of measuring the success of voluntary associations in mobilizing citizens is the investigation of citizen attitudes toward social activeness and joining organizations. Although voluntary associations in Poland have been successful in recruiting members, they have not been successful in mobilizing citizens to take an active, spontaneous, and enthusiastic part in their activities. Neither the state nor the citizen turns to voluntary associations in situations which would afford them a greater role in policy making.
