Third-sector Organizations Research Articles

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.

COVID-19 and Microcredit: Dissecting an NGO’s Training, Financial Support, and Women Empowerment Programmes

This paper reports the findings from a microcredit (financial inclusion) scheme that has been operated by a non-governmental organization since 2012 in a local community in Ghana, and sustained through the COVID-19 pandemic. It first examines microfinance, women’s empowerment and third-sector organizational dynamics. It then provides an overview of microfinance in Ghana within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by dissecting the organization’s microcredit, training and women’s empowerment programmes. The following part documents the findings, with brief concluding thoughts and policy implications appearing in the last section. It is argued here that financial schemes, particularly those operated by third-sector organizations, can play a significant role in helping women in particular to deal with the secondary effects of COVID-19 by providing improved non-financial services and easy access to microfinance at low, sustainable interest rates. These findings have implications for policy formulation and sustainable development.

Opening the ‘black box’: Organisational Adaptation and Resistance to institutional isomorphism in a prime-led employment services programme

The UK’s Work Programme (2012-18) was a major employment services programme, inspired by new public management principles. A relatively small number of directly commissioned ‘prime providers’ were paid by the central Government largely according to the number of job-outcomes their service users achieved but were given a ‘black box’ to design their own services and subcontracting arrangements. Drawing on an empirical study of subcontracted service providers, and focusing on those from the third sector, the paper shows that within this prime-led commissioning model, subcontractors came under sustained pressure to adjust their operational practices. We draw on institutional isomorphism to show that isomorphic pressures were experienced because of both the design and implementation of the Work Programme. Although there were strong pressures pushing towards convergence, however, the different starting positions of subcontractors meant that these changes were not entirely deterministic and some attempts at resistance were observed amongst third sector providers. Their diverse institutional contexts, including positioning and wider interest in the field, shaped how they navigated and responded to isomorphic pressures, ultimately mitigating homogenisation. The paper contributes a more sophisticated understanding of the ways in which provider organisations experience, interpret and respond to structural pressures within an evolving quasi-market. The findings have implications for public service reform programmes featuring quasi-markets that are intended to encourage innovation and a diversity of provision, particularly when promoting mission-led, third sector organisations (TSOs).

Prize‐winning abstracts from BSACI/WAO 2022 meeting

Prize‐winning abstracts from <scp>BSACI</scp>/<scp>WAO</scp> 2022 meeting

Of charities and choice: Researching the choices of the long-term unemployed on third-sector employability programmes

‘Work-first’ (or ‘workfare’) activation policies severely restrict the choices of the unemployed. Can third-sector organisations (TSOs), with their person-centred mission, support long-term unemployed adults to make their own choices, given individual and societal constraints? Commentators often focus on ‘what works’ in supporting those with complex needs; others draw on the ‘capabilities approach’ (CA). With commentators often talking past each other, two key issues emerge. First, what constitutes real choice, and, second, how do we deal with the testimonies of programme users when those experiencing social deprivation may overstate the choices available to them? We argue that the CA’s dichotomisation of ‘true/real’ versus ‘constrained/no’ choice is problematic for a balanced assessment of choice possibilities across different programmes. Building on insights from current literatures, we develop a framework for researching choice possibilities. Using qualitative research, we apply this framework to a TSO employability programme in England, and find users have more control over their choices compared with UK workfare policy. The article contributes to international debates on the value of the CA, the links between programme form, user choice and well-being, and the scope for TSOs to deliver on their user-centred mission and prefigure better alternatives to workfare.

Transnational social protection infrastructures: African migrants in Mexico

AbstractIn the past years, increasingly restrictive migration policies have pushed many migrants to seek new and more risky migration routes. Many studies have investigated aspects of social protection for migrants from the Global South in industrialized countries of the Global North, with powerful welfare states. Yet, such focus has failed to understand the complexities during the migration process, where people often spend uncertain periods of time in transit countries and the state is frequently absent. In these contexts, social protection is predominantly provided by the third sector (TS) and informal networks both nationally and transnationally. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted with African migrants and TS organizations in Mexico, this paper explores the different and often semi‐formal relationships between the TS, the state, and the migrants that result in complex transnational social protection infrastructures to cover the migrants' basic social protection needs.

"They have more than enough to do than patch up people like me." Experiences of seeking support for self-harm in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accessible SummaryWhat is known on the subject? In the initial months of the pandemic, there was no significant increase in demand for mental health servicesDuring the pandemic, there was an increase in people reporting an increase in suicidal thoughts.Understanding of the experience of seeking help for self‐harm during lockdown is lacking, in terms of availability and accessibility of support services What the paper adds to existing knowledge? People who self‐harm found that their support structures were significantly impacted by lockdownLockdown presented relational difficulties for people who self‐harm What are the implications for practice? Learning about the experience of receiving support from mental health liaison services during lockdown from a first‐hand perspective is essential to improving the provision of these services in the future.In times of national crisis, services should be prepared to support clients via alternative means including telephone and online.Public facing messages about service availability should be carefully expressed to minimize misunderstandings. IntroductionNational lockdown caused disruption to health services and third‐sector organizations offering support to people who self‐harm. Early reports suggested self‐harm‐related hospital attendances declined. Lack of knowledge related to the availability and accessibility of support provisions for people who self‐harm warrants exploration into how they experienced help‐seeking during lockdown.AimsThis study aimed to explore the experiences of people who self‐harm and perspectives on help‐seeking.MethodWe conducted a qualitative study based on telephone and email interviews with 14 people who self‐harm in England.ResultsParticipants identified challenges to coping with life in lockdown, emphasizing the role of self‐harm. Help‐seeking was impeded by feeling like a burden and potential for spreading the virus. People who self‐harm exercised self‐reliance in response to “stay home” messaging, but some may have struggled without formal support. Online support served an important role in continuity of care during lockdown but could widen inequalities from limited resources and access.Implications for practiceHelping mental health liaison nurses to understand the experiences of people who self‐harm during lockdown is critical to providing continuing support to this population. Services should consider how and when they communicate changes to their provisions to the public, and the impact this will have on those in need of support.

Agile, Institutionalised, and Dependency-driven: Multifaceted Forms of the Collaboration Agency of Third-sector Organisations

This study investigated the collaboration between public and third-sector organisations (TSOs) in the framework of collaborative governance. We examined how TSOs portray their collaboration with public organisations and what kind of collaboration agency can be identified based on these descriptions. Using a discourse analytical approach, we identified three multifaceted, and somewhat paradoxical, types of collaboration agency discourse in third-sector organisations: situationalised, service system–oriented, and dependency-driven. We argue that collaborative governance both sets expectations and shapes the agency of TSOs. At the same time, TSOs strategically use these opportunities to their advantage, constantly reshaping their collaboration with public organisations.

Interorganizational Cooperation and Social Capital Formation among Social Enterprises and Social Economy Organizations: A Case Study from the Region of Attica, Greece

Measuring social capital has been a challenging task over the past few decades, and, still, many of its dimensions and manifestations have not been thoroughly or evidently explored. The possible causes may be the ever-changing evolutionary perspectives that take place within the various levels of analysis—micro, meso, and macro—or within the various settings, where some of its core dimensions—bonding, bridging, and linking—are developed, or even among the contexts where its core determinants and features—trust, norms, connections, ties, etc.—are observed. Having in mind the various streams of research and theoretical discourses on social capital formation, this paper aims to surface the identification of the possible evidence on the formation of social capital among social economy organizations, and particularly among social enterprises. In doing so, it aims to explore the relational and cognitive features that drive social enterprises in their interorganizational cooperation with other social enterprises and third-sector organizations. The findings suggest that the central components of social capital, such as the sharing of common values, trust, reciprocity, and trustworthiness, are among those features that were valued most among the participants in the survey during their cooperation and engagement in common activities with other organizations.

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.

Establishing a novel community-focussed lactation support service: a descriptive case series

BackgroundAlthough breastfeeding is widely acknowledged as protecting both infant and maternal health postnatally, a partial or complete shortfall of maternal milk can occur for a range of reasons. In this eventuality, the currently available options for feeding infants are screened donor human milk (DHM), infant formula or unscreened shared human milk. In the UK, DHM has only been widely available in specific clinical contexts for the last 40 years, mainly to reduce the risk of necrotising enterocolitis in extremely preterm infants alongside optimal support for maternal lactation and breastfeeding. The Hearts Milk Bank (HMB) was established in 2017 as an independent, non-profit human milk bank that aimed to ensure equitable, assured access to screened DHM for neonatal units. As a result of the generosity of mothers, a surplus of DHM rapidly became available and together with lactation support, has since been provided to families with a healthcare referral. This programme has now been formalised for families facing lactational challenges, and DHM stocks are permanently maintained to meet their needs.Case seriesThis case series describes the clinical paths of four families who accessed lactation support and DHM from the HMB, along with a description of the process for community provision. To date, the HMB has supported over 300 families. Working collaboratively with key stakeholders, the HMB team has developed a prioritisation strategy based on utilitarian ethical models, protocols that ensure safe handling and appropriateness of use, broader donor recruitment parameters that maintain safety with a pragmatic approach for full term healthy infants, and a process to ensure parents or carers have access to the knowledge needed to give informed consent and use DHM appropriately.ConclusionsStakeholders, including parents, healthcare professionals, and milk banks, will need to discuss priorities for both DHM use and research gaps that can underpin the equitable expansion of services, in partnership with National Health Service (NHS) teams and third-sector organisations that support breastfeeding and maternal mental health.

Social Innovation for Work Inclusion – Contributions of Swedish Third Sector Organizations

The innovative contributions of third sector organizations (TSOs) to tackle work-related societal challenges are increasingly acknowledged in policy and research, but rarely in Nordic working life studies. The article helps fill this knowledge gap by an empirical mapping of efforts by Swedish TSOs to promote work inclusion among people considered disadvantaged in the regular labor market, due to age, disabilities, origin, etc. Previous studies of social innovation help distinguish their innovativeness in terms of alternative or complementary ways to perceive and promote work inclusion in regard to Swedish labor market policies. By combining various measures for providing and preparing work opportunities, addressing their participants through individualistic and holistic approaches, and managing work inclusion by varying organization, funding, and alliances, the mapped cases seem to innovatively compensate for government and market failures in the work inclusion domain to some extent, while also being limited by their own voluntary failures.

The Idea of Social Participation. A Study of the Activities of the Stocznia Foundation under the Od Diagnozy do Strategii Program

This paper aims to answer the question: Through what activities the Stocznia Foundation ensures the idea of social participation in society? That idea assumes that social groups actively participate for the benefit of social development in cooperation with municipal authorities and third-sector organizations. Stocznia is a non-governmental organisation and an aid institution providing services in the areas that improve building a conscious, safe and wise society, actively involved in the activities for the common good. The Od diagnozy do strategii project organized by the Stocznia Foundation, is the document that describes the citizens’ participation in public projects and the process of planning an effective strategy for achieving selected goals. The Foundation is an integral part of the preparation strategy for civic participation, which is based on the analysis of the practical involvement of stakeholder groups in the creation of real plans for the development of the local environment. This article is part of the research devoted to the Stocznia Foundation and its activities for the benefit of the society, especially the idea of social participation and the security sphere related to it.

Evaluation of the Warrior Programme intervention among UK ex-service personnel.

Research has shown that of the myriad services available to veterans in the UK, very few have been independently evaluated. This report presents the results of a randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of Time Line Therapy™ delivered by the Warrior Programme (a third-sector organization). This study was aimed to determine if the intervention is effective in reducing emotional and functional difficulties in ex-service personnel. A mixed-design analysis of variance model was used to investigate whether the Warrior Programme had a statistically significant impact on self-reported scores. The intervention and control group provided data on measures prior to and immediately after the intervention, and at 3-month follow-up. Those in the intervention group (n = 23) reported statistically significant improvements in self-reported scores immediately following intervention: the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE) scores (CORE global distress mean difference [MD] = 45.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 31-60) (CORE subjective well-being MD = 5.9, 95% CI 3.5-8.3) (CORE functioning MD = 16.7, 95% CI 11.4-21.9) (CORE problems/symptoms MD = 19.4, 95% CI 13.1-25.7), general self-efficacy (MD = -9.8, 95% CI -13.6 to -6.8), anxiety (MD = 8.6, 95% CI 5.2-12.1), depression (MD = 10, 95% CI 6.6-13.5), post-traumatic stress disorder (MD = 26.3, 95% CI 17-25) and functional impairment (MD = 11.1, 95% CI 5.3-16.8) over time, compared to the control group (n = 29). However, score improvement was not sustained over time or statistically significant at follow-up. The Warrior Programme was effective in reducing emotional and functional difficulties in ex-service personnel immediately after the intervention, but the effect was not sustained at 3-month follow-up.

SDG partnerships may perpetuate the global North\u2013South divide

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development gives equal emphasis to developed (“Northern”) countries and developing (“Southern”) countries. Thus, implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demands coherent collaboration to transform society across all countries. Yet, there has been little research published on SDG partnerships and this is the first study to explore the extent to which partners from Northern and Southern countries are involved in them and their focus. It identifies that involvement is unequally distributed and may perpetuate the North–South divide in countries’ resources, including access to data and scientific capacities. Most notably, partners from low-income countries are involved in far fewer partnerships than partners from countries in all other World Bank income categories, although the former are least able to develop sustainably. As such, all those promoting sustainable development from governmental, private and third-sector organisations need to address global inequalities in establishing and implementing SDG partnerships if, collectively, they are to facilitate delivery of Agenda 2030.

Co-producing smart cities: A Quadruple Helix approach to assessment

Cities are increasingly expected to bring urban stakeholders together to deploy smart solutions that address urban challenges and deliver long-term positive impacts. Yet, existing theory and practice struggle to explain how such impacts can be achieved, measured or evidenced. This paper makes two major contributions. Firstly, the paper shows how the Quadruple Helix (QH) innovation approach can be used as the basis for co-producing smart city projects in order to better capture their impacts. In doing so we present a synthesis of current smart city and QH literatures to argue that assessment criteria and indicators must be co-produced with the full set of smart city stakeholders to ensure relevance to context and needs. Secondly, we present an example of a co-produced monitoring and assessment framework and methodology, developed to capture and measure the impacts of smart and sustainable city solutions with the stakeholder teams involved in the European Union Triangulum smart city programme. The paper draws on experiences working with 27 smart city demonstration projects involving public, private and third-sector organisations and communities across Manchester (United Kingdom), Eindhoven (The Netherlands) and Stavanger (Norway). We show how involving QH stakeholders in co-producing impact assessment improves the ability of projects to deliver and measure impacts that matter to cities and citizens. We conclude with a series of lessons and recommendations intended to be of use to the range of organisations and communities currently involved in smart city initiatives across Europe and the world.

The Multiple Regulator Model: A Case of Too Many Cooks?

Abstract Regulation protects the third sector from mismanagement, provides data for policy development, and increases public trust and confidence in its organisations. Different agencies regulate Malaysian third sector organisations (TSO), based on their legal forms and varying activities or functions. Yet, can different regulations governing organisations with similar objectives effectively address issues affecting the sector as a whole? This study provides an overview of the Malaysian third sector regulatory landscape and examines the operational challenges caused by the multiple regulator environment. Third sector actors and regulators were interviewed to understand how they navigate legal and regulatory requirements. Findings show that regulation is hampered by discrepancies surrounding the interpretation and application of laws. This Malaysian study shows that regulatory inconsistencies affect the sector’s operational efficiency and diminish trust between the TSOs and regulators. Based on these findings, uniformity in regulation is crucial to build trust in the sector, as well as between actors and regulators.

‘We’re on the edge’: Cultures of care and Universal Credit

ABSTRACT Austerity and welfare reforms – such as Universal Credit (UC) – are changing the ways in which care is delivered in the UK, increasing the precarity of individuals and the organisations who care for them. New cultures of care are emerging as a result. We show how an emplaced affect of ‘edgy-ness’ shaped a culture of care within third-sector organisations and housing associations working in Cornwall, UK. Drawing on a collaborative project consisting of four housing associations and four VCSOs, we explore ‘edgy-ness’ as one specific affect of precarity through an analysis of practitioners’ narratives of the project and its success.

Experiences of general practice care for self-harm: a qualitative study of young people's perspectives.

BackgroundSelf-harm is a growing concern and rates of self-harm in young people (aged 12–25 years) presenting to general practice are rising. There is, however, little evidence about young people’s experiences of GP care and on accessing general practice.AimTo explore the help-seeking behaviours, experiences of GP care, and access to general practice of young people who self-harm.Design and settingIn this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with young people aged 16–25 years from England with previous self-harm behaviour.MethodInterviews with 13 young people took place between April and November 2019. Young people were recruited from the community, third-sector organisations, and Twitter. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis with principles of constant comparison. A patient and public involvement advisory group informed recruitment strategies and supported interpretation of findings.ResultsYoung people described the avenues of help-seeking they employ and reflected on the mixed experiences of seeing GPs that can influence future help-seeking. Preconceptions and a lack of knowledge about accessing general practice were found to be barriers to help-seeking. GPs who attempt to understand the young person and establish relationship-based care can facilitate young people accessing general practice for self-harm.ConclusionIt is important young people are aware of how to access general practice and that GPs listen, understand, and proactively follow-up young people who self-harm. Supporting young people with self-harm behaviour requires continuity of care.

A Mixed-Methods Investigation into Barriers for Sharing Geospatial and Resilience Flood Data in the UK

With increases in average temperature and rainfall predicted, more households are expected to be at risk of flooding in the UK by 2050. Data and technologies are increasingly playing a critical role across public-, private- and third-sector organisations. However, barriers and constraints exist across organisations and industries that limit the sharing of data. We examine the international context for data sharing and variations between data-rich and data-sparse countries. We find that local politics and organisational structures influence data sharing. We focus on the case study of the UK, and on geospatial and flood resilience data in particular. We use a series of semi-structured interviews to evaluate data sharing limitations, with particular reference to geospatial and flood resilience data. We identify barriers and constraints when sharing data between organisations. We find technological, security, privacy, cultural and commercial barriers across different use cases and data points. Finally, we provide three long-term recommendations to improve the overall accessibility to flood data and enhance outcomes for organisations and communities.