A Dawn of Convergence?: Third sector policy regimes in the ‘Anglo-Saxon’ cluster

Abstract

Since the 2008 financial crisis, the third sector policy and regulatory regimes in the ‘Anglo-Saxon cluster’ have been subject to considerable policy churn. Comparing the reforms in the ‘meta-policies,’ regulations and financing in England, US, Canada and Australia, this analysis identifies both significant policy convergence and divergence. A new ideational landscape has emerged that is dominated by a focus on transparency, impact and social innovation. Convergence is not the whole story, however. In particular, the overarching meta-policies are absent, increasingly weak or divisive, suggesting a future characterized by the sporadic intervention of parochial politics and the likelihood of increased difference.