Individualisation and the Development of Voluntary Activities

Abstract

In this article there will be discussed what may be lost by the trends of individualisation of voluntary activities concerning functions such as the creation of social capital, democracy, expression of opinions and service provision. Furthermore, there will be discussed how legal regulations may strengthen the trends of individualisation of voluntary activities. The empirical focus will be on Poland and Sweden. It is argued that individualisation changes voluntary activities which can partly diminish, and partly increase their ability to fulfil the above-mentioned functions. Furthermore, legal regulations differ and may accelerate processes of individualisation in Poland, but slow down these processes in Sweden.