CHAPTER 4 Does ethnic heterogeneity of clubs affect member dropout? 4.1 Heterogeneity and tie-dissolution In the previous chapter I have demonstrated that people tend to gravitate to the same clubs as their ethnic peers. This process of ethnic sorting makes amateur football clubs substantially more ethnically homogeneous and segregated from one another than one would expect based on chance alone. While the role of selective tie-formation in the social segregation of voluntary associations is well established, much less is known about the influence of selective tie-dissolution. (McPherson, Smith-Lovin & Cook, 2001). Considering that membership dynamics of voluntary organizations are a product of both entry and exit, this raises the question if the ethnic background of co-members could also play a role in member turnover. Wiertz (2016) has suggested that the ethnic composition of associations is primarily important for when members join associations and not when they leave them. However, the data used for his study had several limitations. Moreover, McPherson and colleagues have suggested in the past that heterogeneity within associations can be a driving factor in member turnover (McPherson, Popielarz & Drobnic, 1992; Popielarz & McPherson, 1995). As amateur football clubs get more ethnically heterogeneous over time (see chapter 3), it is important to know what the consequences are or this trend for clubs’ long-term stability. In this chapter, I therefore aim to answer the following research question: To what extent does ethnic heterogeneity of amateur football clubs affect member dropout? In order to answer this research question, I will delve deeper into the theoretical underpinnings of the relationship between ethnic club heterogeneity
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