ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how the urban context facilitates involvement in two voluntary associations located in Greater Manchester. One is a local branch of the Labour Party, located in an affluent suburb, and the other is a conservation group which operates in Manchester as whole. The research methodology, which draws on social network analysis, is distinctive in examining in detail the internal networks of associational members. We are thereby able to gain data on whole networks rather than on samples of individuals; identify network connections around different intra-organizational functions; and link network data to life histories. The chapter also explores theoretical issues in the study of mobilization and engagement. It shows that the Labour Party is systematically better able to generate more activism and energy from its members. The chapter further shows how this can be understood in terms of the different relationships the two groups have to their urban environment.
