"Participation & Control in a State Socialist Society: The German Democratic Republic"

Abstract

This paper studies the organizational penetration of social life in one state socialist country, the German Democratic Republic. Comparing organizations and participation at the place of work and in residential areas, the paper focuses on the latter. It is based on empirical research on neighborhood interaction in relation to the activities of official organizations in new towns built during the last twenty years. The paper identifies uneven patterns of organization and participation and relates these to problems of political control and stability.