Sector’s changing relationship with the state 'needs careful management'3

Governance | Jonathan Last | 24 Sep 2012

The Third Sector Research Centre has today published a discussion paper designed to stimulate debate about how economic and political changes will shape the voluntary sector in the years to come.

The worst of times? is by Pete Alcock (director of TSRC), Rob Macmillan and Sarah Bulloch, and examines the changing status of the sector's relationship with the state, the impact this is having and how best to measure the change.

Over the next six months, TSRC will host a series of dialogues on the future of the voluntary secotor, informed by its research of the past four years.

This first paper asks whether the sector is currently going through a period of "unsettlement". This is defined as "rapid and significant change, where existing resources, approaches and understandings are called into question, and new relationships between organisations and sectors formed".

The paper examines this unsettlement issue from two aspects: changing political/policy priorities and financial/economic dimensions.

It asks whether the New Labour era can be seen as a "golden age" for the sector in light of the subsequent "colder climate"; reviews the political debate about the Big Society and explores some of the policy changes that followed it; and examines data to establish the key indicators of the health of the sector.

Sector sounding board

TSRC plans four more dialogues and papers between this October and February next year: No longer a voluntary sector; Is the third sector so special? What is it worth?; Is the third sector being overwhelmed by the state and the market?; and A strategic lead for the third sector.

The papers accompanying the dialogues will be published online and there will be an opportunity for stakeholders to leave comments, as well as join a live online discussion on each issue.

TSRC has also put together a sounding board of 30 voluntary, community and policy representatives, who will meet to hear research findings and comments.

Members include Jo Casebourne, director of public and social innovation at Nesta; Caroline Cooke, head of policy engagement and foresight at the Charity Commission; Ralph Michell, director of strategy at Acevo; and Sarah Mistry, head of research and learning at the Big Lottery Fund.

A final report will be published and launched on 19 April 2013 at the British Library.

The dialogues are being held as part of TSRC’s ongoing work, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

Directory: Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) | Big Lottery Fund | Charity Commission | NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) | Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC)

Place a comment

Chris Zealley
charity trustee, various
---
24 Sep 2012

Is it impossible for us to be clear-headed that there are at least two sectors, certainly not just not one ?

In the right corner is the sector that relies and has relied for years essentially on voluntary action, plus donations, endowments and legacies, still correctly called the charitable sector: it is bearing up pretty well: in the left corner is the sector which in quite recent years has been built up on or converted to dependence on public money.

This second one is in very poor shape, let down and battered

Both sectors are essential to Civil Society, but the engine that drives each is totally different from the other. So to treat their problems as though they are closely similar, and mutually connected is to start from a false and incorrect premise, and will lead either to bad or no conclusions.

[Reply]

Carl Allen
24 Sep 2012
Response to [chris zealley]

It is a question that will not go away.

When should organisations that are devoted to delivered statutory public services be charities?

[Reply]

Carl Allen
24 Sep 2012

The era more resembles seven years of plenty.

Now being followed by the seven tears of lean with little in the way of accomplishments of that era of plenty.

The sounding board does not appear to fill the requirements of a wisdom of the crowd.

[Reply]

Comments

[Cancel] | Reply to:

Name *

Email *

Organisation

Job Title

Comments *

Verification *

* Please read our Community Standards

Close »

Community Standards

The civilsociety.co.uk community and comments board is intended as a platform for informed and civilised debate.

We hope to encourage a broad range of views, however, there are standards that we expect commentators to uphold. We reserve the right to delete or amend any comments that do not adhere to these standards.

We welcome:

Robust but respectful debate
Strongly held opinions
Intelligent relevant discussion
The sharing of relevant experiences
New participants

We will not publish:

Rude, threatening, offensive, obscene or abusive language, or links to such material
Links to commercial organisations or spam postings. The comments board is not an advertising platform
The posting of contact details for yourself or others
Comments intended for malicious purpose or mindless abuse
Comments purporting to be from another person or organisation under false pretences
Gratuitous criticism, commentary or self-promotion
Any material which breaches copyright or privacy laws, or could be considered libellous
The use of the comments board for the pursuit or extension of personal disputes

Be aware:

Views expressed on the comments board are left at users’ discretion and are in no way views held or supported by Civil Society Media
Comments left by others may not be accurate, do not rely on them as fact
You may be misunderstood - sarcasm and humour can easily be taken out of context, try to be clear

Please:

Enjoy the opportunity to express your opinion and respect the right of others to express theirs
Confine your remarks to issues rather than personalities

Together we can keep our community a polite, respectful and intelligent platform for discussion.