The voluntary association is the mediate between society and individuals; it serves as a prime engine for social changes. Therefore, it is very important to find out who the voluntary association participants are. Previous research has focused primarily on demographic attributes of voluntary association participants. In addition to the demographic factors, this study investigates the effects of job characteristics, work-related attitudes, perceptions of social inequality, and resource constrains on the probability of participation. Based on 1996 ¡§ Taiwan Social Change Survey,¡¨ this study uses logistic regression to model the determinants of participation in voluntary associations of more than 2000 respondents. The result shows that job satisfaction is negatively associated with participation rate and job stability has a positive effect on participation. With respect to the perceived causes of social inequality, situational attribution is positively correlated with probability of participation. Finally, respondents with lower family responsibilities and higher income are more likely to participate in voluntary association.

The following premise is based on the ideas of social theorists who have contributed to understanding the importance of image in society. This proposal argues that political participation is susceptible to exploitation in the form of conspicuous consumption as defined by Thorstein Veblen. The analyses that follow will test the degree to which Americans who demonstrate more traditional forms of conspicuous consumption also tend to show more activity in political venues. While the correlation of these two variables is not sufficient to demonstrate cause and effect, it may be significant enough to attract more researchers to this question: are Americans using political involvement to positively influence the way that their social status is perceived by others?

Nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners have been major players in increasing forest productivity and improving forest health. Understanding what factors influence landowner participation in government programs, and furthermore, what factors determinate how quickly after harvest landowners regenerate, is critical for developing policies to improve landowner participation in government assistance programs and timely regeneration of harvested lands. Two studies were conducted to investigate these issues. The necessary data were obtained through a 2006 telephone survey of randomly selected Mississippi NIPF landowners. Factors considered included an array of land, ownership, management, and demographic characteristics. In the first study, a two-step landowner behavior model was constructed to explain NIPF landowner participation in government incentive programs, conditional on their awareness of these programs. The second study used duration analysis to analyze the time elapsed between harvest and regeneration. Interest in timber production, past regeneration experience, education, and membership in forestry organization influenced NIPF landowner knowledge of incentive programs and were significant predictors of participation. Those NIPF landownersn who regenerated, did so on average, 11 months after harvest. After the 16th month following harvest, the probability of regenerating harvested lands decreased rapidly. The interval between harvest and reforestation was reduced by maintaining an interest in timber production, consulting a forester to coordinate the harvest, residing on the forest land, having planted pines, and increasing timber prices.