The Voluntary Sector: Comparative Perspectives in the UKIncreasingly central to public policy debates in the UK, the voluntary sector is one of the fastest growing segments of the economy. The agencies situated between the market and the state are the lifeblood of the organized civil society. This new textbook examines whether these expectations are well founded, through detailed examination of the rhetoric and practice of voluntary sector action. Adopting a comparative approach to the subject, The Voluntary Sector examines the sector's relationship to policy, progress and politics. It features insights from a major international study, as well as from other comparative research, to answer questions such as: How does the voluntary sector contribute to the UK economy? What is distinctive about voluntary sector policy? How does the sector compare with the public and private sectors? Providing an accessible and indpeth overview of the area, this new textbook demonstrates as never before the remarkable diversity which characterises the voluntary sector in Britain and is essential reading for anyone studying or working in the voluntary sector. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Boxes | 3 |
The economic scope and scale of the UK voluntary sector | 19 |
Mainstreaming the voluntary sector on to the UK policy agenda | 44 |
initial implementation | 66 |
Introduction to Part II | 89 |
research and rhetoric | 103 |
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Common terms and phrases
activities actors advocacy agenda Anheier approaches argued Britain British central government Chapter charities Charities Aid Foundation civil society claimed community-building Compact comparative concerned context contributions council housing Davis Smith Deakin discussed economic environment environmental evidence example extent for-profit sector function funding Greenpeace growth HM Treasury Home Office horizontal housing associations Housing Corporation impact implementation important initially innovation institutions interviewees involved Kendall and Knapp Labour literature London mainstream NCVO Nonprofit Sector older overall paid employment participation particular perspective policy fields policy legacies political problems providers public policy public sector recent reflect relatively relevant response rhetoric role RSPB Salamon Section significant situation social capital social care social exclusion social housing Social Services subsidiarity suggested tended theoretical third sector trends trust UK voluntary sector voluntary organizations voluntary sector policy volunteers welfare