<p> Existing approaches to the analysis of participation in community groups have adopted either a social-psychological view or a structural-political view of the impetus for participation. This paper attempts to integrate these two approaches, through analysis of the nature of the link between the impact of the issue, which serves as a source of conflict (a psychological view) and the organizational characteristics of the community group (a structural view). Using Dahrendorf's model of latent and manifest interests, research propositions are generated, focusing on four sets of factors conditioning the selection of group participation as a response to conflict. These are: psychological factors, technical conditions of organization, social conditions of organization, and political conditions of organization.</p> <p> Results of an empirical application of these propositions, using a questionnaire, show that the impetus for participation in a community group is a two stage process, depending on the existence of two separate sets of conditions: the impact of the issues, which is dependent upon the individual's distance from the source of conflict; and the social organization of the group. Based on analysis and interpretation of these results, hypotheses are generated, and are used to modify and expand Dahrendorf's model, in order to make it more applicable to the analysis of community group participation in locational conflict.</p> / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)

<p> In recent years, community interest groups have played an integral role in conflict situations. This paper focuses on community response to locational conflict and the community's role in the process of conflict resolution. A conceptual model of locational conflict is developed. The model includes three essential elements. These are (i) community perceptions of a facility, (ii) the formation of a community group and (iii) a cycle of conflict. This framework leads to a hypothesis that there exists a cycle of conflict between community response to locational conflict and conflict resolution. Specifically, as a conflict evolves there exists a cyclical repetition of stages which lead to a cycle of conflict. As an empirical example of locational conflict, the Upper Ottawa Street Landfill is used to evaluate the validity of the model. Illegal chemical dumping in the past has created an environmental conflict for the surrounding community. The analysis illuminated the hypothesis that a cycle of conflict exists between community response to locational conflict and conflict resolution. </p> / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)