Building an Institutional Theory of Scandinavian Civic Engagement

• In Event: Understanding Volunteering: Civil Society Perceptions

Abstract

In this paper, we try to build an institutional theory of Scandinavian civic engagement. Our argument is that the high level of Scandinavian civic engagement should be explained by three concurrent institutional mechanisms, which in turn leads to a combination of a high demand for volunteers AND a high supply of volunteers. The three institutional mechanisms are the popular movements, the enabling state institutions, and the tamed or negotiated market economies.

Authors

• Lars Skov Henriksen, Aalborg University

• Kristin Strømsnes, University of Bergen