The local organizational society in Norway after the turn of the century:

Changes in scope, type and structure

by Dag Wollebæk, Kristin Strømsnes and Åsta D. NordøCentre for research on civil society and voluntary sector

This presentation:

Changes from 1999 to 2009

Changes to:

•Scope

•Type

•Structure

The Hordaland surveys

• Registration of all local voluntary organizations in Hordaland 1980, 1988, 1999 and 2009

• Survey to organizations in 1980, 1999 and 2009

• More than 12.000 organizations registered at least once

-60 %

-40 %

-20 %

0 %

20 %

40 %

60 %

80 %

100 %

120 %

-60 %

-40 %

-20 %

0 %

20 %

40 %

60 %

80 %

100 %

120 %

New and disbanded associations, core rural municpalities and Bergen

Confirmed new

Existing, not registered 1999 (probablynew)Confirmed disbanded

Destiny uncertain

Balance new-disbanded

Development in membership figures among surviving associations 1999-2009

Gender• Women in executive committees: no change last ten years.

2009: 45 per cent female committee members in Bergen, 49 per cent in rural municipalities.

• Less than 40 percent of the women head of local associations

• The number of female leaders is considerably lower than what the number of female board members indicates.

• Women do not initiate new organisations; become leaders later on when the organisation have matured.

• The organisations in Bergen: decidingly bigger share of members with ethnic minority backgrounds than rural municipalities (54 versus 27 percent).

• Under-represented in executive committees both in Bergen and in rural municipalities (more serious in the latter)

• Participate in voluntary work, but lack formal representation.

• Under-represented in all organisation categories, and on all levels in the organisation

Ethnic minorities

Organisational structures

• Expanding geographic area of coverage: proportion of associations covering several municipalities increased from 1999 to 2009.

• Increased formalization: More associations have written by-laws, hold annual assemblies and accounts.

• New opportunities for funding and VAT exemption requires registration in public registries incentives to become more formalized.

Weaker connection between local, regional and national levels

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Affiliated with regional organization Affiliated with national organization

56

71,3

42,3

64

Affilliation with mother organization

1999

2009

Changes in meeting structure

• An increasing proportion of associations do not arrange membership meetings

10 per cent in 1999 – almost 20 per cent i 2009

• Weak reduction in turnout among associations holding membership meetings

• Reduction in frequency of membership meetings

• Executive committee meetings increase in the same period

Associations and their surroundings• Move in a communitarian direction. More oriented towards

society than members, more oriented towards consensus than conflict.

• Still, less cooperation with agents in the local environment and weaker ties to their local communities.

• Reduction in cooperation frequency for culture and arts, political parties and local community associations.

Rural associations cooperate less with other local community actors

Conclusions (1)• The number of local organizations reduced

• Development towards a more secular and less political and ideological organizational society

• Growth mainly found within neighborhood organizations

• Women are underrepresented in leader positions

• Ethnic minorities formally underrepresented in the sector in general

Conclusions (2)• Development towards a dual organizational society more

pronounced

• Decrease in amount of associations arranging membership meetings and frequency of membership meetings.

• Number and frequency of executive committee meetings remains stable

• Despite a move in communitarian direction, local associations are less closely tied to their local communities