Handbook of Community Movements and Local Organizations

Creating a Frame for Understanding Local Organizations RAM CNAAN, CARL MILOFSKY, AND ALBERT HUNTER In this book, scholars from anumber of disciplines present work focused on communities, with particular attention to community organizations. How citizens and residents come together informally to act and solve problems has rarely been addressed. Little direct research or theory dealing with this subject exists, and correcting that deficit is the task of this book. The book builds a theory of local organizations by presenting contributions from experts in the field of community life - groups such as PTAs, block associations, fraternal organizations, self-help groups (AA), congregations, and even Internet chat clubs. The goal of this book is to form the foundation for a "discipline" in social science study, and be a sophisticated resource that will be useful to practitioners around the world.