Rethinking Voluntary Associations: Visions of Democracy and Communicative Practices

Abstract

This article examines a set of arguments about how internal dynamics within voluntary associations influence democratic governance, in order to identify the primary divergences and patterns among these frameworks and assess whether voluntary associations are the optimal focus for the study of democratic culture. The arguments discussed present very different conclusions about whether and how associations benefit democracy, and these differences are rooted in the authors’ visions of what democracy should look like. Those who favour liberal democracy argue for strict separation, or even antagonism, between associations and the state, and do not treat membership norms as important. Those who favour social democracy argue for a cooperative relationship between associations and the state, and present the rules and norms structuring associational membership as important, though they do this in different ways. The primary associational dynamics identified by each argument cut across these categories. The article concludes that while democratic culture is important to democratic governance, associations are neither uniquely helpful nor always helpful, and that it would be productive to shift the study of democratic culture from a focus on voluntary associations to a focus on communicative practices.

Keywords:

• Associations
• democracy
• communication
• civil society