ABSTRACT
Earlier research has been able to establish a connection at the community level between lively participation in voluntary organisations and a ourishing economy. This has been explained in terms of dense, informal networks of civic engagement fostering norms of reciprocity and trust – described as social capital – which in turn facilitate cooperation and successful economic development. Engagement in voluntary work is thus commonly considered to be positive in inuencing community building and economic life in favourable ways. However, as the link between civic engagement and economic development has been described only at an aggregated level, the actual relation between the two has not been highlighted. In addition, the connection on the individual level, that is the relationship between engagement in the voluntary sector and position on the labour market or in local business, has not been sufciently explored.
