National Federations: The Role of Voluntary Organizations in Linking Macro and Micro Orders in Civil Society

Abstract

The research described in this article represents a preliminary, qualitative, comparative analysis of voluntary national federations of local community organizations and voluntary national federations of local governmental units in the United States and England. The analysis is based on interviews; archival reports, budgets, and newsletters; and participant observation at meetings. These federations force a rethinking of theories of mass society that rely on overly simplistic distinctions between macro and micro, public and private. The research highlights the complex bridging roles that these voluntary national federations play and their essential position at the intersection of macro and micro, state and community.