Purchase-of-Service Contracting, Voluntary Organizations, and Civil Society

Abstract

Governments around the world are making increasing use of contracting “technologies” to purchase services from voluntary organizations—both in privatizing (contracting out) previously government-provided services and in reining in (contracting in) more autonomous voluntary sector services previously supported by grants-in-aid. If voluntary organizations are as much about participation as provision, what is the impact on civil society of the widespread adoption of this funding technology? Voluntary organizations are frequently idealized as producing civic “golden eggs” of community resource mobilization and more appropriate and accessible services, as well as providing avenues for citizen participation and involvement. But does the tightening control of government funding contracts risk killing the goose that is laying these golden eggs?