Community Power and Decision-Making: A Comparative Evaluation of Measurement Techniques

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Abstract
Five comparable major decisions in two small New York communities were selected for detailed study resulting in a list of community decision-makers. This is compared with lists of reputed leaders in each community based on nominations by these decision participants and leaders of voluntary associations. The communities were similar in terms of size, range of community facilities, and major problems faced, and differed most in political and socioeconomic complexion. In both cases political-governmental officials were key leaders. but overlap between the lists in one community was the result of hyper-activity of a few in all decisions studied, while in the other community it was the result of limited decision participation by many. Voluntary organization leaders also were found to differ from decision-makers in their perception of reputed leaders in one community. These differences are attributed primarily to differences in the economic structure of the two communities.

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