The project 'local level associations' and the survey on volunteerism will update basic figures on macro and local levels which will be the foundation for a research project analysing changes in the voluntary sector in the period 1998-2008 regarding its economy, size, membership numbers, employment, active and passive participation, motives for volunteering, social capital etc.

This project will also contribute to identifying to what extent Norwegian social capital has been reduced over the last few years. The term ‘social capital’ controversial and the result is that there is no consensus on the sources to and effects of social capital, the transition from the individual to a macro level, the direction of a causal relationship of social capital on the individual and collective levels or on how to measure social capital. Putnam’s (1993: 35) definition of social capital as ‘features of social organisation such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit’ will be used in this project.

In the data on volunteerism from 1998 to 2008 the following three dimensions can be operationalised: social network (questions related to family, network and neighbours), civic involvement (questions relating to engagement in civic organisations) and trust (questions about attitudes and norms).

This project will touch upon all three core research areas, participation, transitional processes and financing and other framework conditions.