Besides the happy coincidence of interest that is achieved when communities are formed by voluntary participation, the voluntary process itself also has a definite value. Besides neatly collating individuals into groups, the voluntary process imbues the groups with a sense of ours-ness. This is our project. We decided to come together to form this group. The State Against Community Alexis de Tocqueville made a searching study of how early Americans vigorously participated in all sorts of voluntary associations.
Community depends on involvement in institutions that bring lives together.
Another area where the mighty state might usefully withdraw is poor relief and social insurance. Historian David Beito has written about America's fraternal societies. During the 1920s their members reportedly amounted to 30 percent of the adult male population, and they were strong among blacks and immigrants. Mutual aid was based on voluntary participation, reciprocity, deservingness, and gratitude. The rise of the welfare state was one of the reasons for the system's decline.