Observations on the Functions of Voluntary Associations, with Special Reference to West African Cities

Abstract

The author cites examples of West African voluntary associations (VAs) and discusses the various expressive and instrumental benefits they provide for participants. In categorizing the groups, he treats expressive and instrumental orientations as two separate and variable dimensions. Accordingly, every VA has a value, either high or low, on each dimension. The author offers propositions and empirical evidence regarding the frequency of occurrence and the general nature of the four types of VAs thus generated. Finally, he suggests that these propositions would also apply to social movement organizations, and calls for more efforts to synthesize findings from a number of related areas.