Community Organizations and Mobilization from Below

Abstract

Chapter 4 examines the role that community organizations play in mobilizing poor people into politics. It shows that part of the explanation for the unusually high levels of participation among poor citizens in Latin America can be traced to extraordinarily high levels of community organization. People across all social classes in Latin America are very involved in community organizations, including neighborhood associations, community groups, parent groups, professional organizations, religious groups, and women’s organizations. The chapter shows that organizations promote greater political participation by poor citizens through two mechanisms. The first operates at the community level, through the mobilizational resources and infrastructure provided by densely organized communities that reduce barriers to collective action. The second operates at the elite level, when parties and campaigns channel their political mobilization efforts through organizations rather than targeting atomized individuals. The evidence shows that the effect of involvement with community organizations has a stronger effect on political activism of poorer citizens—but only for voting and protesting, thus helping to equalize overall levels of political participation.