Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

Potter, Michael R.

Committee Member

Rush, Christine L.

Committee Member

Stanisevski, Dragan

Committee Member

French, P. Edward

Date of Degree

5-16-2025

Original embargo terms

Visible MSU Only 2 Years

Document Type

Dissertation - Campus Access Only

Major

Public Administration and Policy

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Political Science and Public Administration

Abstract

This study explores the policymaking process in online civil society organizations, particularly gaming communities. This process is investigated by conducting a case study on one such community, the Villoux Server System, in order to better understand how communities like it draft and enforce the legislative policies that govern them as well as how those policies impact social capital gains for the community’s membership. A triangulated approach is employed to gather data on the subject, (1) three distinct textual analyses are conducted, one of Villoux’s regulations, one of all the temporary bans Villoux has issued, and one of all the permanent bans Villoux has issued; (2) surveying Villoux’s administrators about the community’s policymaking process; and (3) conducting follow-up interviews with those same administrators to more robustly comprehend the policymaking process. This study can be considered a companion to Daniel (2019), which explored whether or not communities like Villoux could generate social capital amongst its members in means similar to those established by Putnam (2000). The results of the surveys and interviews in particular lend significant support to the theory that online civil society organizations should be valued much the same as their in-person counterparts.

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