Formal and Informal Volunteering in Denmark: Tangible and Intangible Acts of Civic Engagement

This dissertation investigates the formal and informal volunteering in Denmark. In this dissertation, the concept ’volunteering’ thus denotes both formal and informal activities (i.e. associational and nonassociational volunteering). It treats volunteering as expressions of civic engagement and discusses the implications of volunteering against the backdrop of established theories and research within the field. Thus, the gap that this dissertation attempts to cover concerns three dimensions. First, Scandinavian volunteering studies often acknowledges the significance of informal activities, but the implications are actually rarely reflected in discussions of civic engagement in general. The consequence is that many actions, which rightfully should be perceived as civic engagement, are neglected. It diminishes the perception of civic engagement, as informal activities are even more prevalent than the formal, and it fails to depict, which groups within the Danish society that are actively engaged in volunteering.