Abstract
Advocates of the virtues of participation assert that in a true democracy, citizens should be able to take an active part in civic matters, at least on the local level (Pateman 1970; Macpherson 1977). Regular elections and the existence of formal rights are by themselves not sufficient for democracy; they need to be supplemented by opportunities for direct democratic influence. On the other hand, pluralists emphasize how a diverse range of associations may act as representatives on the political scene, regardless of the activity level of the participants (Almond and Verba 1963). National political systems are too large to allow face-to-face discussion between all citizens. Therefore, the presence of associations is an institutional requirement if the combined values or interests of individuals are to be mediated.
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© 2003 Marc Hooghe and Dietlind Stolle
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Wollebæk, D., Selle, P. (2003). The Importance of Passive Membership for Social Capital Formation. In: Hooghe, M., Stolle, D. (eds) Generating Social Capital. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403979544_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403979544_4
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