Matthew Baggetta
Associate Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University-Bloomington
Chapter Member: Indiana SSN
Areas of Expertise:
Connect with Matthew
About Matthew
Baggetta's research focuses on civil society, civic engagement, and social movements with a particular focus on membership-based organizations. Overarching themes in Baggetta's writings include the importance of creating opportunities for members to actively participate in and lead organizations and the ways such opportunities can influence members and communities. Baggetta serves on the board of directors of the Melos Institute, a think tank focused on membership-based organizations, and contributes to Mobilizing Ideas, an interdisciplinary blog focused on social movements.
Contributions
How Civic Associations Can Create Committed Leaders
Key Findings Brief,
In the News
Guest to discuss his research as presented in the article, "Leading Associations" on SAGE Podcasts, Matthew Baggetta, September 10, 2013.
Matthew Baggetta's research on leadership discussed by , "Study Looks at What Drives Volunteer Leaders’ Commitment," Associations Now, June 18, 2013.
Matthew Baggetta's research on associations and what motivates engagement discussed by , "Membership Memo: Schools of Democracy," Associations Now, February 1, 2013.
Matthew Baggetta's research on associations and what motivates engagement discussed by , "For Civic Associations, Effective Leadership Produces Organizational Success," IU Perspectives on Policy, July 12, 2011.
Guest to discuss nonprofit organizations serving the homeless in southern Indiana on WFIU’s Noon Edition, Matthew Baggetta (with ), June 10, 2011.
Matthew Baggetta's research on leadership lessons from the Sierra Club discussed by , "Kiwanis Needs Quality, Not Quantity," The Society Pages, October 12, 2010.
Matthew Baggetta's research on the organizational characteristics of choral societies discussed by , "Forget the Bowling League, Join a Choir," OrgTheory, December 11, 2009.
Matthew Baggetta's research on best practices for civic associations discussed by , "What Makes Civic Associations Work," Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2010.
Publications
"Leading Associations: How Individual Characteristics and Team Dynamics Generate Committed Leaders" (with ). American Sociological Review 78, no. 4 (2013): 544-573.
Shows how the commitment of volunteer leaders is greater in environmental organizations where leadership teams work more interdependently, share work more evenly, and spend less time in meetings.
"Learning Civic Leadership: Leader Skill Development in the Sierra Club" (with ), in Interest Group Politics (8th Edition), edited by Allan J. Cigler and Burdett A. Loomis (CQ Press, 2011), 110-138.
Shows what skills environmental association leaders learn, how much they develop those skills, and what associational settings foster that learning.
"Leadership, Membership, and Voice: Civic Associations That Work" (with ). American Journal of Sociology 115, no. 4 (2010): 1191-1242.
Explains why some civic associations are more effective at developing skilled leaders, enhancing participation, and influencing their communities.
"Civic Opportunities in Associations: Interpersonal Interaction, Governance Experience, and Institutional Relationships" Social Forces 88, no. 1 (2009): 175-199.
Demonstrates that recreational associations offer as many (or more) opportunities for the civic development of members as political groups and service organizations.