Abstract
In England, public sports facilities and libraries provided by local government are being transferred to management and delivery by volunteers. The catalyst for this development has been reductions in local government budgets. However, case studies explore if this asset transfer “offers a way of restoring the ideal of committed public service in the face of widespread bureaucratic failure and retreat”, as a form of associative democracy and empowerment of both the volunteers and those for whom the services are provided.
Highlights
Associationalism has been advocated as an alternative to socialism or even liberal democracy.Through association individuals group together to attain some purpose or govern some activity defined by them as important to their interests [1] (p. 50)
The key to successful association can be dependent on the diverse volunteer characteristics which include their level of education, gender, age, family background, employment status, and psychographic and socio-demographic variables
The voluntary provision case studies we have looked at, do exemplify associationalism, coming together to meet their own and local community needs, more efficiently and sensitively, prompted by state retraction from leisure provision
Summary
Associationalism has been advocated as an alternative to socialism or even liberal democracy.Through association individuals group together to attain some purpose or govern some activity defined by them as important to their interests [1] (p. 50). Associationalism has been advocated as an alternative to socialism or even liberal democracy. Through association individuals group together to attain some purpose or govern some activity defined by them as important to their interests [1] It is claimed that associationalism can limit the scope of state administration without diminishing social provision. The concept is seen as developmental because the active involvement of volunteers can empower them and the communities they are providing services for. A normative judgement is that devolving the provision of public services to voluntary self-governing associations is preferable to state provision because it is more efficient and sensitive to local needs, and maximises human liberty. This paper considers how applicable these ideas—which were popular in pre-second World
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