Motives Driving the Creation of Professional and Business Associations: Evidence from Russia

ABSTRACT

Our knowledge of associations is scarce, requiring a multidisciplinary approach that has been rarely used to investigate this multifaceted phenomenon that cuts across the confines of a single discipline. This study investigates the motives that drive the founding of associations in the Russian context, analyzing original data and applying a mixed-methods research design. An empirical typology of motives is developed to obtain a more accurate range of time- and value-driven motives beyond what is currently understood. The findings shed light on the complexity and multidimensionality of the motivational factors driving the establishment of associations in a transitional context.