Voluntary Associations Research Articles

Self-help groups for people with migration experience

Abstract Background Self-help groups as voluntary associations of people to jointly cope with illnesses or psychological problems are sometimes regarded as the fourth pillar of the health care system. Still, so far people with migration experience do not resp. less participate in self-help groups in Austria. The project aimed therefore on identifying related obstacles and solutions. Methods A mixed-methods approach was chosen: a systematic literature search; interviews, focus groups and workshops; including people with migration experience and experts. A concept for self-help groups was delevoped in a participatory way, piloted in Vienna and evaluated. Results The study confirmed, that the concept of self-help groups as they are usually implemented in Austria is not known among people with migration experience. But there is a great need for exchange among those with a chronic illness or their relatives. Success factors and obstacles are mainly related to the access to people with a migration experience and the way how such self-help groups are set up. Much time needs to be invested in developing a common understanding of the concept of a self-help group and in maintaining contacts. However, despite the of the personal benefit, the often stressful life situation of people with migration experience is an obstacle for continuous participation or even initiating a self-help group oneself. Conclusions The project showed, that, although the concept of self-help groups is often not known, people with a migration experience can benefit from it. But more support is needed than is usually provided by the established self-help organisations. A change in the understanding of self-help groups on the one hand and integrating such activities in services/associations working with migrants on the other hand could improve the access for people with migration experience to this important pillar of the health care system. Key messages • Several obstacles hinder people with migration experience in participating in self-help groups in Austria, e.g. the concept itself is unknown to them. • Implementing a specific concept for self-help groups with support by professionals can facilitate the access of this population group to an important part of the health care system.

Opening the Black Box: Editorial to the “Culture and Leadership in Slavic Nations” Special Issue in the Cross-Cultural Research Journal

This Special Issue is an installment of the series of studies carried out by the Centre for Cross Cultural Comparisons ([ https://crossculturalcentre.homestead.com/ ]( https://crossculturalcentre.homestead.com/ )), an international voluntary association of researchers, students and practitioners interested in the global study of culture and leadership. This Consortium investigates the relationships among preferred leader behavior dimensions and societal cultural values of employed businesspeople across the globe, with the intent of improving managerial leadership practice in businesses.

Women’s campaigning, petitioning, and grassroots activism, 1945–1997

ABSTRACT Petitioning provided a flexible repertoire for women’s political activity in the decades after 1945. Petitioning was a popular, widespread practice: aside from voting, signing a petition was one of the few political activities that engaged a majority of women. Building on a long tradition of British women as active petitioners, petitioning was used by a variety of different groups—local action groups, voluntary associations, political parties, pressure groups, and radical social movements, including those associated with the Women’s Liberation Movement. Connecting formal and informal politics, petitioning was a relatively cheap, accessible form of political activity that enabled activism. In particular, the practices associated with name-signing created informal, temporary political spaces for women. Petitioning also provided a mechanism for representation and making representative claims to authority on behalf of women. The media-friendly spectacle of presenting petitions to authority was useful for attracting publicity as a range of activists, including conservative moral campaigners like Mary Whitehouse realised. The flexibility of petitioning explain its popularity as a form of political participation for women, particularly in facilitating local, informal activity.

Rural Communities and Cooperative Societies: A Community-based Alternative for Sustainable Socio Economic Development in Nigeria

The worsening socioeconomic situation of the country has threatened the socioeconomic development of rural communities, necessitating a socioeconomic alternative that will be responsive to rural needs and stimulate sustainable socioeconomic growth. Cooperative societies are alternative strategies that can foster socioeconomic growth at rural levels, thus building on the spirit of cooperation that is domiciled in the rural areas. Cooperative society is a voluntary association of individuals who come together to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations. These societies are based on the principles of self-help, democracy, self-responsibility, equality, equity and solidarity. If effectively utilized, cooperatives are vehicles that can bring about sustainable socio-economic development in rural communities especially in times of worsening economic situations. This paper explores cooperative societies as a vehicle that can bring about the needed socioeconomic development in rural areas through, creation of jobs, raising capital for business and alleviation of poverty. The paper adopts the sustainable development theory as its theoretical underpinning. The study found that cooperatives are instrumental in the sustainability of livelihood in rural communities through the provision of credit facilities, assisting small businesses to stay profitable, creation of employment etc. The paper recommends rural dwellers should be adequately sensitized on the importance of cooperatives and should be encouraged to associate with cooperatives so as to derive benefits of cooperatives which can in turn bring about sustainable development.

Religiosity, transcendent accountability, and civic engagement

Religiosity, transcendent accountability, and civic engagement Academic experts from Baylor University and Pepperdine University explore religiosity, transcendent accountability, and civic engagement. Civic engagement has declined considerably in America since Alexis de Tocqueville, a French political scientist, visited the United States in 1831 and observed the unique tendency toward volunteerism and the role it played in American civic life and culture. He wrote extensively about the inclination of American citizens to form voluntary associations of all types, including religious, community, and political organizations that contributed to volunteerism.

인천 마을공동체 사례를 통해 보는 생활도시의 마을자치

This article discusses the case of Incheon communities from the perspective of life city that distinguishes between the community of trust and the administration of confidence, and reveals the importance of practical community’s autonomy. In particular, I focus on the case of Yeongsung Community in Bupyeong-gu, which is self-reliant and actively participates in the residents’ autonomy. As a rusult, I propose four directions for supporting community’s autonomy in life city. (1) The formation of a community of trust should be prioritized over administrative performance and efficiency. (2) It is better to support regular or temporary large-scale community funds rather than one-time project expenses in the form of a public project. (3) A key task for administrative or support centers is to build the capacity of community’s self-governance through training and networking. (4) Institutional residents’ autonomy should be replaced by a voluntary association based on trust.

Ensuring the functioning of society in activities of local governments under the legal regime of martial law

The scientific article is devoted to the study of the activities of local self-government bodies during the period of martial law in ensuring the functioning of society, characterization of the concept, competence and features of local self-government bodies, and types of local selfgovernment bodies. The article examines the scientific and regulatory approaches to defining the most important functions of local authorities, in particular, ensuring the constitutional rights and security of citizens. Local self-government during the period of martial law faces many challenges on a daily basis. That is why this topic is extremely relevant and requires scientific substantiation and research. The decentralization reform has laid the foundation for the activities of competent local governments. However, the unjustified military aggression has changed the usual rhythm of work of regional and district councils, as well as local authorities. The peculiarity of this legal regime is the creation of temporary state bodies, including military authorities. They operate in parallel with autonomous local governments. However, there are cases when the military administration can assume the powers of local self-government bodies if the local council does not meet on time. Local self-government in Ukraine is a right guaranteed and enforced by the state and a territorial community – a voluntary association of residents of a village, villages or several villages, cities – to address local issues within the limits determined by the current legislation, may be formed independently or subordinated to officials and self-government bodies. Local self-government is designed to strengthen the foundations of the constitutional order of Ukraine, ensure the implementation of constitutional principles, human and civil rights, create conditions for meeting the vital needs and legitimate interests of citizens, and develop local democracy. During the legal regime of martial law, military authorities exercise the powers of local state authorities and part of local self-government bodies, as defined by the current legislation. Therefore, the role of local state authorities and local self-government bodies in ensuring the quality functioning of society is very important.

Muslim Women and Educational Reform in the Early-Twentieth-Century Southern Caucasus: Urbanization and Heterosocialization at the Dawn of Revolution

Abstract: In 1901 the Empress Alexandra Russian Muslim Boarding School for Girls, better known as Taghiyev's Girls' School for the industrialist who founded it, opened in Baku to celebration in the press and to protests in the street. Its opening initiated a period of expanded educational opportunities for Muslim girls in the southern Caucasus and increased the visibility and social and political influence of Muslim women teachers. This article investigates how girls' schools marked a transformation in Muslim women's sociality in the southern Caucasus. Heterosocialization characterized this transformation, enabling women's participation in public life through venues such as the theater, the press, and voluntary associations. These late imperial transformations and the women who led them would play an important role in shaping early Soviet Azerbaijan.

Fenomena Krismuha (Kristen-Muhammadiyah) dalam Pandangan Abdul Mu’ti: Perspektif Hermeneutika Jorge J. E. Gracia

This article delves into the phenomenon known as “Krismuha” (Kristen-Muhammadiyah), which refers to the dynamic interaction and relationship between Christian and Muhammadiyah communities, as discussed in Abdul Mu’ti’s work, Kristen Muhammadiyah. The study focuses on such interactions within predominantly non-Muslim regions, employing Jorge Gracia’s hermeneutic theory as an analytical framework. The primary questions explored are: (1) how Abdul Mu’ti conceptualizes the Krismuha phenomenon in Kristen Muhammadiyah, and (2) how this phenomenon can be interpreted through the lens of Jorge Gracia’s hermeneutics. The research utilizes a qualitative methodology, relying on library-based research techniques. The findings indicate that Abdul Mu’ti was motivated to write Kristen Muhammadiyah due to the naturally evolving relationship between Christians and Muhammadiyah members, characterized by voluntary association, mutual comfort, and openness, while still maintaining distinct identities. This unity exemplifies how peaceful coexistence amid diversity—anchored in mutual respect—can foster harmony and well-being within communities. The book further demonstrates that Muhammadiyah, as an Islamic movement, upholds values of pluralism and inclusivity, extending openness to non-Muslim groups.

Legal regulation of the activities of cooperative societies in Eastern Galicia in the interwar period at the beginning of the ХХ century

Based on archival materials, legislative acts, and studies of contemporaries, the article attempts to highlight the role of legal regulation in the formation and development of the cooperative movement in the region. The study helps to better understand the complex interaction between political authorities and public initiatives in the context of socio-economic transformations of the interwar period in Eastern Galicia. The problem of legal regulation of the activities of cooperative societies in Eastern Galicia in the early twentieth century, in particular in the interwar period, is relevant and important for understanding the socio-economic processes of that time. A study of this issue will allow us to better understand the role and impact of the cooperative movement on the development of economic sectors and the lives of the local population. This article examines the legal environment in which cooperative societies operated in Eastern Galicia in the interwar period. The article analyses the legal acts regulating the status, rights and obligations of cooperative organisations and assesses their effectiveness and impact on the development of the cooperative movement (the Trade Law, the Law on Companies, the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Order). However, the legal regulation of the activities of cooperative societies during this period remains poorly understood, especially in terms of their impact on community development and economic well-being of the region. The development of the Ukrainian cooperative movement in the nineteenth century coincided with the beginning of the capitalist industrialisation of Ukrainian lands. The Austrian government took this movement seriously, which was reflected in a large number of legislative initiatives of the Austrian Reichsrat. The government adopted various legal acts aimed at regulating the activities of voluntary associations, organisations and societies. Coverage of this topic will help to understand the mechanisms of functioning of cooperatives in the fields of production, trade and services, as well as their interaction with government agencies and other sectors of the economy. Further research on this topic could serve as a basis for developing recommendations for improving the legal environment for the development of the cooperative sector in modern Ukraine.

From Social Clubs to Champions for Sports Journalistic Identity and Integrity

Taking the FIFA World Cup in Qatar as a point of departure, this article analyses the changing role of national associations of sports journalists in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Introducing the concept of meta-journalistic discourse and well-established media system theories, it is argued that Nordic sports journalism’s negotiations of professional practices and standards are shaped by a particular media systemic context with distinct Nordic welfare state-oriented features. One such feature is a tradition of using collective, organized social groups, like democratically based voluntary associations, as instruments for social change. The empirical study explores this through a qualitative thematic analysis of the changing structures, identities, and practices of the national associations of sports journalists across the three countries. This illustrates how the organizations in particular during the last two decades have started very similar processes of transformation away from being mainly social clubs. The associations have used their collective frameworks and bargaining power to ensure independent journalists’ access to sports organizations and athletes, and they have engaged in negotiations of what sports journalism is and what constitutes sports journalism in a sports media landscape shaped by strong combined forces of digitization and politicization.

Working for the Emperor at Antium: Profession and Prestige in the Fasti Antiates Ministrorum Domus Augustae

The Fasti Antiates Ministrorum Domus Augustae, a large inscription associated with the imperial villa at Antium, is best known for its iteration of the Augustan calendar. In this article, I reassess the fasti in their entirety, focusing on their manner of display and social function. I place special emphasis on the section of the inscription, largely overlooked, that contains the annual records of magistrates who led the voluntary association that commissioned the inscription, a detailed record of two decades of local history. The association revealed in these records worked to bestow honors on its members, offering them prestige within and beyond the household, and also acted to censure them. Because the fasti identify most magistrates by job title, they also provide invaluable information about the villa’s workforce, composed of enslaved people and freedmen; the document provides a valuable counterpoint to other testimonia for occupations, largely funerary. Manual laborers and domestics appear with greater frequency in the fasti than they do in occupational inscriptions from funerary contexts, while administrators, abundant in funerary contexts, form a minority. Importantly, the magistrates’ list reveals that the association was a group in which the “sub-clerical grades” of imperial slaves and freedmen could accrue prestige and wield authority as readily as their overseers. In the community reflected in the fasti, power derived not from job status within a workplace hierarchy, but from social standing among peers—acquired and maintained (or lost) over decades of service.

The role of trade unions in Russia in ensuring the implementation of the constitutional principle of democracy

This article is devoted to the analysis of the role of trade unions in ensuring the implementation of the constitutional principle of democracy in the Russian Federation. The author substantiates the position that the implementation of this constitutional principle is impossible without a system of legal guarantees, among which the most important place is occupied by civil society institutions. The key and most developed institution of civil society in modern Russia are trade unions, which are voluntary public associations of citizens to protect their labor and social rights, which form the basis of the system of human and civil rights and freedoms in the Russian Federation. The article examines the main problems associated with the participation of trade unions in the implementation of forms of direct and indirect democracy in the country, and also developed and substantiated a system of proposals and recommendations to enhance the role of trade unions in ensuring the implementation of the constitutional principle of democracy in Russia. The work uses a number of methods of scientific research, in particular: analysis; synthesis; formal-logical; comparative-legal; historical-legal; statistical; sociological; method of analysis of specific legal situations. The most important place in this system is given to proposals to improve the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the current legislation in terms of increasing the role and place of trade unions in the mechanism of implementation of direct and indirect forms of democracy in Russia.The object of this study is public relations related to the implementation of the constitutional principle of democracy in Russia, as well as the participation of trade unions in this process. The subject of the study is a set of legal norms regulating the mechanism for ensuring the implementation of the constitutional principle of democracy, as well as scientific views on the place of trade unions in the organization and functioning of this mechanism. The purpose of this study is to identify and substantiate the role of trade unions in the Russian Federation in the mechanism of ensuring the implementation of democracy as the most important constitutional principle.

Status and prospects of agricultural cooperative development

Cooperatives in the Republika Srpska are in a position to face the consequences of development from the previous period, the consequences of the war and the creation of a new concept of cooperative development, starting primarily from changes in the legal, economic and political system of the country. There are two phenomena or two directions of development of cooperatives. First is the direction of development of newly established cooperatives that have fully or at least partially harmonized their operations with cooperative principles and legal framework and have a sound business and market policy. The other direction of stagnation and undevelopment refers to the still present so-called old cooperatives that have not adjusted their operations to the new legal framework or new market circumstances, and are very often burdened with lawsuits, within which significant cooperative and state property has been blocked. The experience of developed countries proves that cooperatives are one of the irreplaceable segments of agricultural and rural development and a very suitable form for free and voluntary association of producers. The role of cooperatives in the future is to influence the reduction of social and economic divisions and to direct the whole process in a fairer way. It could be said that cooperatives, from the point of view of their principles, represent irreplaceable forms of organizing people. They, in fact, by their structure and specifics, carry the keys to their own success. The parameters of cooperative adequacy are different, and the following stand out: priority of cooperative membership; diversity of cooperatives; strengthening the power of the people; careful resource management; creating financial power; strategic thinking. Cooperative membership must be the center of attention.

The authorship of teachers: jissen kiroku as the core of professionalism in Japanese jugyo kenkyu

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss the significance of teacher authorship (jissen kiroku) developed during jugyo kenkyu. Specifically, it explores the structural conditions of jugyo kenkyu that enabled the flourishing of jissen kiroku.Design/methodology/approachTo find how jissen kiroku developed in jugyo kenkyu, this paper settled triad of authors-text-readers as the analytical perspective. Disputes through 1960s–1980s are adequate to inquire because it can elucidate how readers read jissen kiroku, which is typically challenging to observe.FindingsJissen kiroku is a powerful tool for semantically preserving, reconstructing and consolidating professional values and knowledge in jugyo kenkyu with deepening connoisseurship. Voluntary educational research associations (VERAs) encourage teachers to write and read jissen kiroku to develop their professionalism, which also helped develop exclusive semantics within the field. These developments were possible due to the public nature of jissen kiroku, disseminated to lesson study (LS) actors, thereby strengthening discussions both inside and outside VERAs.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper proposes shift in views on educational science and emphasizes authorship as authority in that professionalism of teaching can be protected and elevated through authoring.Originality/valueThe significant roles of writing practice have not been explored enough. This paper finds the value of authorship in terms of public nature and openness to all teachers which enable the enhancement of professionalism of the LS field.

The response of Turin volunteers (Piedmont Region, Northern Italy) during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Voluntary associations played a decisive role during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This contribution reports on the experience of the Torino Street Care project, whose members carried out swabs in informal facilities, visits, drug distribution, reading examinations, and orientation interviews. They also provided social, legal, or bureaucratic help, distributed food and collaborated in the vaccination campaign. These activities enabled a relationship of trust to be created with the migrant population in the Piedmont Region (Northern Italy), also thanks to the clarity and the precision of the communication the volunteers had with the people they welcomed.

The Borders of Migrant and Refugee Activism in South Africa

Abstract This article examines the relationship between the activities of civil society organizations (CSOs) on migration and refugee issues with state-making processes and discourses in South Africa, based upon key informant interviews, discourse analysis, and ethnographic research. It argues that this relationship brings attention to the defining and reinforcement of national borders set against the backdrop of the ‘corporate pact’ between the South African government and CSOs that has necessitated public participation in social movements and voluntary associations involved in a range of different xenophobic activities that are legitimized by political parties seeking popularity, and the state. Financial resources operate as ‘material disciplines’ by influencing the kind of problems that are visible, and, in turn, categories that non-state actors like philanthropies, charities, and donors consider worthy of protection. Those affected by shifting categories and their influence on NGO support like Zimbabweans have taken matters into their own hands to counter this novel border from below.

К вопросу экологического сознания населения Хабаровского края

The paper presents the relevance of environmental problems in modern society. In particular, the urgent environmental crises of the Khabarovsk Territory are analyzed. The study considers the pollution of the shores of all water bodies of the region and adjacent water areas with household garbage. The paper provides information on the measures taken by the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Khabarovsk Territory to form ecological awareness of the population. An overview of the quantitative indicators of the campaign «Water of Russia» for three years in the Khabarovsk Territory is provided. The paper also includes other environmental actions carried out within the framework of the regional Eco-marathon. We are also talking about the fact that environmental safety is one of the five subsystems included in the national security system of the Russian Federation. The need to turn public consciousness towards environmental friendliness is justified, the level of consciousness being characterized by high responsibility for actions concerning the environment. Different approaches to the concept of «ecological consciousness» are considered, clarifying the meaning of the term. The indicator of the formation of ecological consciousness is the participation of citizens in eco-volunteer activities. The authors believe that constant work can help to form environmentally responsible public consciousness. The study is feasible in an educational, scientific, campaigning and business environment. It is important to provide information support and promotion of eco-volunteer actions, as well as stimulating and encouraging events. The apper uses methods of analysis, synthesis, systematization, generalization. In conclusion, voluntary environmental public associations create the basis for the formation of sustainable environmental awareness, not only among young people, but also in the professional sphere.

A social network analysis of early twentieth-century elite Black male civil society

ABSTRACT This study provides new empirical evidence on the relationships between early twentieth-century Black voluntary membership associations. Specifically, we utilize data on elite Black men’s fraternal, professional, intellectual, and reform association memberships derived from the first Who’s Who publication for Black citizens to consider how these individuals’ organizational memberships may have helped to foster Black civil society, creating networks of activism and engagement with the potential to enhance democratic citizenship. We find that the three major fraternal orders—the Prince Hall Masons, the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias of North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa—had the greatest numbers of identifiers; these associations often were closely connected to professional and reform organizations such as the National Negro Business League and the NAACP. Important regional distinctions also emerge. These findings have important implications for the development of Black social, cultural, and political capital at the turn of the twentieth century.

Features of the legal status of political parties as legal entities: comparative-legal characteristics

In the article, the author examines political parties as subjects of civil relations. The characteristics of political parties as legal entities are analyzed: organizational unity, which is expressed in the fact that parties, as organizations, have a certain structure and a system of bodies; the sign of separate property of political parties has a certain specificity, with peculiarities in the ways of acquiring ownership rights over the property of political parties. Political parties, as legal entities, bear civil liability, and they can independently appear in court as defendants.
 The author also examines the doctrine and legislation of Western countries regarding the concept, creation, and activities of political parties in Germany, the United States, Great Britain, and Serbia. The concept of a political party in Western countries is considered, with a political party in Serbia, understood as a voluntary association of citizens, created with the aim of achieving political goals through the democratic formation of the political will of citizens and participation in elections. A political party in Serbia is granted the status of a legal entity from the date of its entry into the register of political parties.
 A distinctive feature of political parties in Germany is their ambiguous legal status. By their legal nature, they are private organizations, created in accordance with the norms of private law; however, they also possess a public character due to certain constitutional privileges, granted to them.
 The article explores the issue of the legal nature of political parties in Ukraine and the features that distinguish political parties from other public associations. The author examines the issue of the legal personality of political parties and points out that they possess two components - social and political.
 Furthermore, the article analyzes the criteria for categorizing legal entities as either private or public law entities in the law of Ukraine and in the law of France. In French law, such criteria include the following: the establishment of a legal entity originating from public or private initiative, the rules governing its creation, operation, and oversight by public authorities, the method of financing (public subsidies or mandatory payments), and the presence of public authorities