- Phone:
- (812) 855-2783
- Email:
- baggettm@indiana.edu
- Room Number:
- 435
- Areas of Interest:
- Civil Society ,
- Voluntary Associations ,
- Civic Engagement ,
- Social Capital
Education
- Ph.D. in Sociology, Harvard University, 2009
- M.A. in Sociology, Harvard University, 2005
- B.A. in Sociology, University of Notre Dame, 2001
Courses
- V161: Urban Problems and Solutions
- V181: US Policy & Administration
- V482: Managing Risks and Hazards in the U.S. and European Union (O'Neill Summer in London course with John Graham)
- V482: Wars, Wealth, & Welfare: State-Building (O'Neill Summer in London course with Jennifer Brass)
- N523: Civil Society and Public Policy
Biography
Matthew Baggetta is an expert on civil society and voluntary associations. His research interests include civil society and civic engagement, membership-based organizations, and social movements. Baggetta’s work focuses on the impacts of voluntary associations on their members and the broader impacts of associations and movements on society.
Baggetta has conducted studies of Sierra Club chapters, local community choirs, campus-based student groups, and large, urban associations. He has developed a new systematic social observation data collection tool for studying civic activity and is applying it in the Observing Civic Engagement Project. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Melos Institute, a think-tank focused on membership-based organizations and contributes to Mobilizing Ideas, an interdisciplinary blog focused on social movements.
Baggetta’s publication outlets include the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Perspectives on Politics, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, and Sociological Methods and Research. Baggetta joined IU and the O'Neill faculty in 2010 following a year as a Harvard College Fellow.
Highlights
- Co-recipient of $10,000 Dugan Research Award for Philanthropic Impact, Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations & Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) with Brad Fulton (2018)
- Recipient of $290,000 in federal research grants from the Corporation for National and Community Service (2017-19)
- Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, IU Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs (2015)
- Recipient of $50,000 research grant, Spencer Foundation (2014)
- Outstanding Academic Publication on Membership Organizations Award from N.C. State University's Institute for Nonprofit Research, Education and Engagement (2013)
- Trustee's Teaching Award (2014, 2016)
- Certificate of Teaching Excellence, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University (2009, 2010)
In the News
- "New NRA Tax Filing Shows Membership Revenues Dropped by $47 Million Following Sandy Hook Surge" - The Trace, January 23, 2016
- "Study Looks at What Drives Volunteer Leaders' Commitment" - Associations Now Magazine, June 18, 2013.
- "Gallup Says Majority of Americans Want Third Political Party" - WFIU Morning Edition, October 17, 2013.
- "Membership Memo: Schools of Democracy" - Associations Now Magazine, February 1, 2013.
- "For Civic Associations, Effective Leadership Produces Organizational Success" - IU News Room, July 12, 2011.
Selected Works
- “Interpreting Unrest: How Violence Changes Public Opinions about Social Movements,” (with D. Myers), Social Movement Studies, (online first, 2021)
- “Systematic Social Observation in the Study of Civic Activity,” (with D. Bredenkamp), Sociological Methods & Research, (online first, 2019)
- “The Trouble With Types: A Partial Test of the Validity of Membership Association Content as a Proxy for Structure,” (with K.D. Madsen), Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 48(2):334-359, (2019)
- “Representative Bridging: Voluntary Associations’ Potential for Creating Bridging Ties in Demographically Diverse Urban Areas,” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 45 (1S):72S-94S, (2015)
- “Context-based instruction: What traditional social science disciplines offer to nonprofit management”, (with J.N. Brass), Journal of Public Affairs Education. 20 (4), (2014)
- “Leading associations: How individual characteristics and team dynamics generate committed leaders”,(with H. Han & K. Andrews), American Sociological Review. 78 (4), (2013) *Winner of the 2013 Outstanding Academic Publication on Membership Organizations Award by the Institute for Nonprofit Research, Education, and Engagement at North Carolina State University.
- “Learning civic leadership: Leader skill development in the Sierra Club”, (with C. Lim, K. Andrews, M. Ganz, & H. Han), in Interest Group Politics (8th ed.) (Cigler, A. and Loomis, B. Eds.). Washington, D.C.: CQ Press (2011)
- “The relationship of leadership quality to the political presence of civic associations”, (with K. Andrews, M. Ganz, H. Han, & C. Lim), Perspectives on Politics, 9 (1), (2011)
- “Leadership, membership, and voice: Civic associations that work”, (with K. Andrews, M. Ganz, H. Han, & C. Lim), American Journal of Sociology, 115 (4), (2010)
- “Civic opportunities in associations: Interpersonal interaction, governance experience, and institutional relationships”, Social Forces, 88 (1), (2009)