Role Of Third Sector Organisations Research Articles

Uncovering the Synergy: Karnataka Government's Collaboration with Third Sector Organizations (TSOs) for Rural Development and Support during Covid-19

Aims: Third sector organisations comprises of charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups supporting communities at local level. The study has focused on the relationship between the State and Third Sector Organizations (TSOs) in delivering services to impoverished rural community. Study Design: Mention the design of the study here. Place and Duration of Study: Thirty TSOs were chosen from Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Tumakuru districts, encompassing a variety of entities including NGOs, SHGs, and primary-level cooperatives, which collectively constitute the third sector comprising charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups supporting local communities. The data pertains to the year 2021-22. Methodology: To achieve the specific objectives of the study, descriptive statistics were employed to assess the service delivery dynamics between the State and TSOs. Results: The findings revealed that during the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Third Sector Organizations (TSOs) have played a crucial role in extending support to communities in various spheres. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, TSOs extended educational support to 1,687 individuals, representing 2.06 per cent of the total beneficiaries. A significant majority (83.33%) of these organisations actively participated in implementation of Government-supported projects, maintaining a two-way relationship with the government (73.33%). The organisations had also taken financial help from Government in the form of funds (70 %), grants (33.33 %), and subsidies (33.33 %). The study also revealed that majority (66.67 %) of the organizations were having political interference in TSO. Furthermore, a substantial majority (90%) of the organizations anticipated timely financial support from the Government. Conclusion: The study underscores the indispensable role of Third Sector Organizations (TSOs) in bolstering impoverished rural communities, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite challenges, TSOs actively engage in government-supported projects, fostering a symbiotic relationship. However, concerns persist regarding political interference within TSOs, highlighting the need for safeguarding their autonomy. Overall, the findings emphasize the necessity of consistent and timely financial support from the government to sustain TSO initiatives effectively. The study recommended the necessity of providing punctual financial support from the government to encourage TSOs in enhancing their service delivery to the rural poor.

Unveiling Research Intermediations in Citizen Science

Drawing on the conceptual framework of intermediations in grassroots innovation for sustainability, this paper presents the first in-depth analysis of the role of third sector organizations in citizen science. The empirical data are derived from 31 case studies of associations (representing 80% of third sector organizations in France). We identify two clusters of associations (social innovation and natural sciences) based on research domain. They differ in epistemic cultures, but they both value experiential and actionable knowledge. We present an analytical framework to characterize the role of these associations in citizen science. Derived from systemic intermediations for transitions, this framework is based on the association’s position in networks, infrastructures, and projects. Our results reveal four categories, three of which are intermediations that depend on the organization’s position in the network, the degree of structuration of its partnerships with academics, and the goals and achievements of the projects in which it is involved. Associations do not only articulate different knowledge in projects, they also contribute to organizational learning in networks. In addition, associations perform the boundary work required to build hybrid infrastructures with institutions. A fourth category unveils the complexity of structuring hybrid epistemic communities for sustainability. This four-way categorization of intermediations highlights the crucial roles of associations in a systemic approach to citizen science.

What is the Role of the Third Sector in Integrated Care - Provider, Partner or Both?

To date, much of the integrated care literature and discourse regarding the Third Sector (e.g. community based nongovernmental, charitable, or voluntary agencies) have positioned the sector as service providers and/or system partners. We would argue that while these organizations are undoubtedly equipped to effectively respond to community’s needs, the sector and these agencies are often been characterized as lesser partners and viewed as 'nice to have' rather than core players within integrated health systems.
 Optimizing their engagement requires a more nuanced understanding of the nature, feasibility, and high value models of collaboration between public and third sectors in order to to design and deliver integrated care systems. The purpose of this interactive workshop is to discuss the current role of third sector organizations in integrated care and debate the merit and/or limitations of being seen as a system partner or a service provider; is there a value proposition for both positions? The session will be structured to enable both large and small group structured conversations through deliberative dialogue and table debates. Attendees can expect to be engaged in a provocative dialogue that aims to push our understanding of how we can achieve truly integrated health care with local voluntary and community organizations. Our exchange will likely produce diverse opinions that will be synthesized according to common themes across and within the group and serve as the basis of potential future SIG activities and academic research.
 This 90 minute session is designed for any academic, policy maker or practitioner interested in intersectoral partnerships and integration across health, social and voluntary sectors.
 Format:
 The time will be divided between an introductory overview, a teams of thought leaders will identify and raise key topic concepts followed by a series of table discussions, debates with time to share and synthesize.

Social Innovation in Active Mobility Public Services in the Megacity of Sao Paulo

This article aims to explore the relationship between social innovation and opportunities for innovation in public services, focusing on a range of initiatives intended to improve services and infrastructure for pedestrians in the city of São Paulo, the largest Brazilian megacity, namely: Reduced Speed Zone, Safe Routes to School, and Complete Street. We apply the multiagent framework for innovation in services, incorporating nine variables that characterize social innovation. As for the main results, in the local context, there is the role of third-sector organizations in creating and introducing solutions for active mobility services through co-creation. Co-creation was identified as a key process and is highlighted in actions to obtain community involvement, interviews to measure the acceptance of the project and detect potential points of improvement not foreseen in the pilot project, participatory workshops, installation of informative and interactive panels, preparation and approval of the temporary intervention project, and joint discussion and analysis with municipal agencies about the points that could receive the temporary intervention. The initiatives are recent and cover specific geographic–temporal boundaries. There is a need to deepen the dialogue between social innovation and service innovation with the co-design and co-construction approaches proposed in this paper, applied in different political, economic, urban, and social contexts. In addition, some barriers are highlighted relating to the lack of public funding, compliance with national regulations, political will, non-partisan actions, and long-term vision. There are potentials for the continuous introduction of innovations for the improvement of public services for pedestrians, promoting participatory restructuring as a form of (re)appropriation of urban public spaces.

Inquiring Systems and Development Led Inquiry: Uniting the Efforts of Farmers, Development Professionals, and Researchers

This paper introduces Development Led Inquiry (DLI) as an approach to improve situations incorporating relationships between third sector organisations (TSOs) and agricultural scientists, universities, and the public-sector agricultural establishment. There is limited scholarly work on the role of TSOs in agricultural research. Current approaches appear premised on TSOs being researched upon, and recipients of research outcomes rather than partners in generation and application of new knowledge. DLI expands the boundaries of research systems and roles of TSOs as supporters within them. DLI builds on partnerships between NGOs, farmers’ organisations, and women’s associations; it integrates researchers and research organisations to develop, manage and report knowledge generation and application. DLI is dynamic and developmental with learning for all participants central to the process. DLI unsettles current power structures within research systems and sees research and knowledge generation as a supporter rather than leader of development. DLI is embedded in an inquiring systems approach and applies six interrelated conceptual systems thinking tools. The approach emerged from, and was applied in, a twelve-year agricultural research project in India, and was subsequently introduced to, and further developed in a research project in Pakistan.

Creation of Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) by Social Action Organizations: Proposal of a Model for Decision-Making

Successive crisis in Europe have contributed to rethink welfare state and the entrepreneurial role of Third Sector organizations in the provision of community services that progressively have created social enterprises. Its creation is the result of a decision-making process that is collective, not individual, and of a strategic nature, in which the organization's culture plays a relevant role. This work aims to describe and analyze the entrepreneurial process, and the key elements that determines the decision of creating a work insertion social enterprise by its promotor entity. As a result, this article proposes an explicative model of social enterprises creation and makes an empirical validation, using Delphi Method in Spanish work insertion social enterprises case.

A Substantive View of Social Enterprises as Neo-endogenous Rural Development Actors.

Social enterprises are recognised as relevant rural development actors. The specific features of social enterprises operating within rural areas (i.e. their relational, socially innovative and multi-stakeholder character and their focus on integrated development) concur with the principles of the neo-endogenous approach to rural development, which stress the potential role of third sector organisations as development actors within governance frameworks. In order to study this phenomenon, that links social enterprises and rural development, we propose a conceptual and methodological framework drawing from Polanyi’s socio-economic theory, complemented with the concepts of place, spatial scale and corporate agency. Through the proposed framework, we advocate for a plural vision of the economy, socio-spatial and geopolitical sensitive concepts and overcoming methodological individualism for the study of an increasingly relevant phenomenon such as the participation of third sector organisations like social enterprises in the (neo-endogenous) development of rural areas.

Marginal Players? The Third Sector and Employability Services for Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the UK

Literature in the field of employability and the third sector has focused upon the impact of marketisation on third sector providers, elaborating how commissioning processes have led to a contraction of (smaller) third sector organisations (TSOs) and an expansion of larger private sector bodies. Extant research does not however explore the role of third sector organisations in the employability of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Therefore, our paper explores this gap by adopting a qualitative approach via a total of 36 interviews involving migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and managers of third sector organisations, alongside a categorisation of TSOs. Our findings reveal that TSOs are the primary (and for asylum seekers perhaps the only) providers of integration support services and training or education services. We found that only a limited number of organisations provide formal employability services or skills development services which seem to be only residual in terms of the range of activities that TSOs can organise. Thus, perhaps the main function that TSOs perform that enables integration into the UK labour market is providing a safe and trusted environment that people can use to increase their confidence, improve their well-being, broaden their social circle, learn the language or increase their work experience.

Community participation and empowerment in primary health care in Emilia-Romagna: A document analysis study

Community participation and empowerment are seen as fundamental for achieving equitable, people-centred primary health care. Emilia-Romagna region introduced the Casa della Salute aiming to foster comprehensive primary health care and support community participation. Since the 1990s, community involvement has been promoted to improve the regional health system. The pivotal role of third sector organisations as service providers and advocates for users’ rights has been underlined. This contribution explores the evolution of the meaning and conceptualisation of community participation and empowerment in policies addressing the Casa della Salute. A qualitative document analysis study was undertaken. Three national and twelve regional documents dated between 2006 and 2019 were evaluated. The policies continuously address community participation. The Casa della Salute is seen as a designated place to promote participation and empowerment. The documents point to the need for democratic practice and shared decision-making power; third sector organisations are seen as salient community representatives and mediators. However, the policies show only a vague conceptualisation of how to empower communities; moreover, strategies to promote participation of vulnerable groups are lacking. Policies that consider the ambiguous role of the third sector, specify community empowerment, identify strategies to facilitate it and collaborate with vulnerable groups could be beneficial for further progress.

CIVIC PARTICIPATION AS A PRECURSOR TO POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: A LOOK AT MALAYSIAN YOUTHS

The problem of political apathy has been discussed and studied across time, space and cultures with increasing importance. Evidence of youth disengagement has been well documented in all parts of the world. This led to the rise in civic activities as governments struggled with wavering democracies. In a landmark study, Putnam found a direct positive association between civic participation and democracy. However, his hypothesis could only be generalized for Italy. This study broadened Putnam’s work by testing his theory in the South East Asia, a region far different from Europe. Data were collected through a national survey (N = 5,237), sampling youths aged from 15 to 25 years old. Reaffirming Putnam’s hypothesis, the study found a strong positive relationship between civic and political participation. The discussion highlighted the role of third sector organizations to promote civic activities, which require support from both public and private sectors.

The role of third sector organisations in the management of social condominiums in Chile: the case of Proyecto Propio*

In Chile, social condominiums are a significant part of housing for low-income households. After decades of occupancy, this housing stock shows signs of rapid deterioration and devaluation due to neglected maintenance. Given the weak governmental support in management practices, third sector organisations are positioning themselves as alternatives to providing technical solutions and contributing to the enhancement of opportunities and capacities among communities that live in deprived areas. However, little is known about the dynamics between these organisations and the communities they work with as well as their interactions with their institutional environment in the context of improving condominium management practices. Employing concepts of intermediation and institutionalisation, we analyse the practice of the organisation Proyecto Propio. We describe the dynamics of the intermediary role as implementer of housing policy and catalyst of social innovation, and the institutionalisation of these practices. The main characteristic of their intermediary role in condominium management practices is a holistic approach as implementer and catalyst for complex interventions, situating the users at the centre of the process. The main challenges are related to institutionalisation: the inclusion of more incentives to scale up and consolidate the third sector as a relevant actor in housing and condominium management.

Youth enterprise: the role of gender and life stage in motivations, aspirations and measures of success

‘Enterprise’ has increasingly become part of the United Kingdom’s political grammar and efforts to develop entrepreneurial traits and activities in young people have been a key strand of this policy focus. As the 2008 economic recession saw a curtailed youth labour market, enterprise emerged as an appealing policy ‘solution’ to youth unemployment. Traditional measures of enterprise chart the numbers of new businesses and their survival rates. This article argues these measures tell us little about new business owners: who they are, their motivations, experiences or, own definitions of success. Further, and crucially, such measures ignore the structural constraints surrounding enterprise and the range of social factors that may determine the extent of ambition, and willingness or capacity to take risks. This article argues that although gender and life stage were contributing factors, the young people’s structurally disadvantaged positions emerge as the most significant feature of why the move into self-employment did not tend to increase their economic stability as promised. This provides an important insight into the real-life experiences of young people who are engaging in enterprise activities in the contemporary economic context, as well as the role of third sector organisations in overseeing the transition from education to work.

2.3 Social Innovation in Condominium Management. The Intermediary Role of Third Sector Organisations in Supporting Low-income Homeowners

This paper is part of the PhD project ‘Managing Social Condominiums’1, which focuses on the role of third sector organisations in supporting Chilean low-income homeowners in condominium management. Understanding the relevance of external action to improve management processes among vulnerable households, this paper presents the intermediary role of the third sector as a vehicle for social innovation. It analyses and discusses the participation and roles of the third sector in housing and condominium management activities by using a database of international case studies. The results reveal different ways of participation of the third sector through public programmes, single interventions and specialised organisations and distinguishes between implementer and catalyst roles of the third sector.

Bridging the Gaps in Employee Volunteering: Why the Third Sector Doesn’t Always Win

Employee Volunteering (EV) schemes represent a cornerstone of many company Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies, being identified as a classic “win-win” situation in which businesses contribute significant resources into local communities while gaining a more skilled and engaged workforce and increased reputational benefits. This article questions the “win-win” scenario of EV arguing that existing research has focused predominantly upon the business–employee dimension while largely ignoring the role of third sector organizations engaging in these relationships. By focusing more directly on third sector experiences, the article identifies four “gaps” which place considerable constraints on the reach and impact of EV. It demonstrates the importance of not simply presuming a “win” for the third sector and the added value that can be gained from redirecting EV research toward the “business/nonprofit interface.”

‘Drug dogs unleashed’: An historical and political account of drug detection dogs for street-level policing of illicit drugs in New South Wales, Australia

This article provides an historical and descriptive account of the introduction and development of the use of drug detection dogs as a tool for street-level illicit drugs policing in one Australian jurisdiction, NSW. Within this account, the legal and political context in which drug detection dogs emerged and gained prominence is described. The introduction of drug detection dogs was contingent on the political imperatives at work throughout the 1990s in NSW, and the increased salience of both policing and illicit drugs issues at this time. In documenting the emergence of the use of drug detection dogs from the early 2000s, and the associated legal challenges and rapid legislative responses, the role of third sector organisations and the media in generating debate is notable. Debates concerning the dogs’ effectiveness emerged in the mid- to late-2000s, giving rise to anomalies between policy and evidence. The more recent legislative developments and public and political debate about drug detection dogs from 2012 to 2014 can be seen in light of this history. By taking a different view which situates decisions and events in their historical and political context, we begin to see the dynamic processes and contingency involved in the development and implementation of particular illicit drugs policing policies over time. As debate about drug detection dogs continues to play out, generating new insights into drugs policing policy processes is imperative.

THE PATH-DEPENDENT NATURE OF URBAN GOVERNANCE: EMERGING MODES IN FINLAND AND ITALY

The socio-economic changes and the territorial reorganisation they imply (new productive districts, new emerging regional economies, etc) together with the processes of political and administrative reform bring about a deeper process of rescaling strongly affecting European urban societies since the end of the 70s. Among the main consequences we find the processes of welfare state reform towards new forms of local welfare arrangements characterised by the rhetoric of activation policies. Cities are now increasingly the main actor in the design of new welfare policies within the broader context of the reconfiguration of urban governance. The aim of the paper is to investigate the modes of urban governance emerging from the reform process common to most EU countries. My hypothesis is that there is a relationship between urban governance modes and welfare regimes. The analysis of urban welfare modes of governance in two EU capitals, Helsinki and Rome bring to light the role of local institutional milieus in shaping modes of governance. Although there are common challenges and a common response toward an increasing neoliberal role of activation policies, local institutional milieus have played a crucial role in defining a path-dependant process of reform. In social democratic welfare regimes a managerial mode of governance has emerged, stressing the central role of the State. In the familistic welfare regime, the consolidated role of third sector organizations and the non-structured and fragmented position of local public authorities in welfare policies has shaped a mode of clientelistic and corporatist governance.

Localism and the third sector: New relationships of public service?

Using interview and documentary empirical evidence from leaders of a local community group that took on the running of a leisure facility after its threatened closure by the local authority, this article examines the relationship between third sector and state sector, the role of volunteers, the changing role of third sector organisations and the theoretical and practical limitations of ‘localism’ in making sense of these changes. It is suggested that localism is to be understood in relation to continuing central influences over policy, that community and voluntary organisations are inextricably bound up with the public sector rather than being a discrete and independent sector in their own right, and that the extant academic literature on networks, agencies and partnerships does not adequately describe these emergent new relationships of public service.

English

The increasing professionalization of civil society is a global trend that stems largely from the growing role of third sector organizations in policy making and service delivery. Such a trend can also be identified in Finland, providing a timely moment to take stock of the current provision of tertiary level civil society management education in the Finnish higher education system. In this article, I identify two ways of conceptualizing the role of civil society whereby civil society organizations are seen as a function of either service delivery or democratization. In Finnish civil society education, the latter view tends to be emphasized, leaving a gap between the needs of professionalizing civil society organizations and the current provision of higher education courses on civil society management.

‘Sometimes you need to think outside their boxes’: An Examination of the Voice of Black Minority Ethnic Women in Post-Devolution Scotland

This article explores the voice of black minority ethnic (BME) women in devolved Scotland. Particular attention is given to examining multicultural policies and devolved political processes and how these impact on the position of BME women in the political life of Scotland. The study is based on secondary analysis of existing survey and focus group data, and primary data drawn from qualitative interviews conducted with a sample of respondents from political and non-governmental organisations. Drawing on feminist theories of multiculturalism, culture is perceived as dynamic and contested and the research depicts BME women as agents engaged in shaping Scotland and their own cultures. The findings show that devolution has created a political opportunity structure more favourable to the voices of BME women. However, this voice remains quiet and is limited by barriers within and outside of BME communities. The research also highlights the role of third sector organisations in enabling the voice of BME women. The author concludes by arguing that successive devolved governments’ promotion of multiculturalism in Scotland has benefited BME women but with important limitations.

Third sector organizations and the co-production of health innovations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the roles played by third sector organizations in forming and managing health innovation networks, and their contribution to the co-production of new health services. Design/methodology/approach – Using data collected in four case studies, the findings highlight the central role of third sector organizations in forming and organizing public-private health networks. Findings – They are trusted organizations, commonly patient advocates, with perceived neutrality. Members of these organizations take leading roles in innovations networks, using their excellent network connections and their prominent positions within their organizations to leverage competences and funding. A key asset of key third sector individuals is their prior experience of public and private sector organizations and, hence, the ability to move across public-private boundaries. Practical implications – The research findings have important implications for practitioners. The author identifies a set of key drivers and barriers for the successful organization of innovation networks and the innovative services they develop. Prior knowledge and experience of partners, often linked to personal ties, in initial partner selection but are also important for trust and the effective organization of complementary competences during innovation projects. The absence of direct competitors – whether public, private or third sector organizations – is also highlighted. Non-rivalry and different partners’ interests in the outcomes of the innovation reduces moral hazard and the associated costs of setting up and monitoring formal contracts. Heterogeneity requires flexibility by actors; to understand partners’ different values, cultures, and organizational drivers. Finally, the research findings identify policy and practitioner enrolment as critical for the successful roll out and diffusion of service innovations. Originality/value – The paper examines an important, but under researched issue – the role of third-sector organizations in collaborative innovation projects.