ABSTRACT
This chapter purports to present some conceptual clarifications by classifying various forms of involvement into types and thereby supporting both theoretical and practical endeavours. It analyses different faces of participation by creating a typology of involvement in organizational, voluntary or institutional circles or structures. Theoretical conceptual differentiation is a necessary precondition for the formation of a comprehensive picture of the involvement participation nexus and for the development of theoretical tools enabling a systematic examination of the different sub-aspects and dimensions of this complex. In Simmel's formal sociology, society is conceptualized as a space comprised of various social circles, such as the state, voluntary associations and churches, tribes or families, educational organizations, classes and groups and publics. A well-functioning democracy is based on the voluntary participation of citizens represented through the plurality of competing voluntary associations and movements.
