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This article focuses on how membership associations can increase entrepreneurial activity in communities by facilitating access to resources that enable entrepreneurs to launch businesses. While much research differentiates membership associations based on association type, this article suggests that their effect on entrepreneurship may be better assessed by examining the composition of each association's membership and their engagement in associational activities. An exploratory analysis of every community in the contiguous United States from 1999 to 2008 reveals that when it comes to facilitating entrepreneurial activity, association type may be less relevant than whether the association is sociodemographically diverse and whether its members are also members of other associations. However, engagement may not be as important when assessing an association's ability to encourage entrepreneurial activity. These findings suggest that future research should look beyond association type and examine additional characteristics by which membership associations can be differentiated.

National surveys of the US electorate conducted regularly since the 1950s do not reflect accurately the growth of the public's involvement in voluntary associations. The problem stems from continued use of standard forms of the question that were last revised in the 1960s. Here, results are reported of a 1985 pilot study (N = 345 respondents) that utilized a revised version of the question that takes into account financial contributions & multiple affiliations within group types. Findings reveal much greater participation in the US group system. New forms of affiliation have increased the relative importance of certain types of groups more than others; eg, labor unions, are relatively unaffected by these changes, but charitable & other types of groups are heavily affected. As previous researchers have found, participation in voluntary associations leads to greater political participation, especially where individuals perceive political activities within their groups. 6 Tables, 2 Figures, 33 References. HA

AbstractCertain private associations in Ptolemaic Egypt engaged in distinctly Egyptian religious activities and compiled rules in native Demotic. These rules closely parallel those written in Greek and Latin, however, and examination of several rules from Tebtunis further suggests that their associations played social roles analogous to those played by associations elsewhere in the Graeco-Roman world. Certaines associations privées en Égypte ptolémaïque se consacrent à des activités religieuses typiquement égyptiennes et établissent des règlements en démotique. Ces règlements ressemblent toutefois à ceux qui sont rédigés en langues grecque et latine et l'étude de quelques textes relatifs à Tebtunis suggère, en outre, que ces associations jouent un rôle social analogue aux rôles joués par d'autres associations ailleurs dans le monde gréco-romaine.