Doctoral Dissertation Research: Iron Cages, Iron Laws, and Collection Action: An Analysis of a National Association

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9906714WillerThis Doctoral Dissertation Improvement research project focuses on the coexistence of two incompatible structures in organized associations. As associations organize bureaucratically to resolve collective action problems, their substantive goals are subject to shift toward formal bureaucratic goals-a tendency, which intensifies as the group increases in size and complexity. Organized associations are found in the "third sector," a term referring to an array of religious, community, and philanthropic groups oriented toward the achievement of collective goals. This study hypothesizes that bureaucratization produces a number of important effects, including alienation. Bureaucratization is measured as a ratio of paid staff to operational volunteers performing comparable tasks. Member alienation is measured by the rate of turnover for members, broken down by organizational position, and controlled for demographic changes.Data will be obtained from a total or nearly total sample of local chapters of a national membership organization (Girl Scouts of the United States of America) having both volunteer and paid staff structures at all levels. A database will be constructed, broken down according to client or agent member status and by organizational position, constituting one of the most complete and consistent datasets ever to be compiled in third sector research.