The Third Sector Delivering Public Services

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the role of the third sector--voluntary or nonprofit groups--in the delivery of public services in the United Kingdom. It details the historical development of the relationship between the government and the third sector, reviews major debates and controversies that have accompanied the increasing reliance on third-sector work in recent years, and explores the various fields in which third-sector activity is prominent.

Public management research has in recent years paid increasing attention to the third sector, especially to its role in the provision of public services. Evidence of this is the rising number of publications on the topic, as well as a growing number of sessions and papers on the topic in academic conferences of the EGPA and IRSPM. However, much of the discussion on its role is motivated at least as much by ideology as by fact. We still lack a proper empirical understanding of what happens when the third sector is drawn into public service provision. In this thematic presentation of Co-Production: The Third Sector and the Delivery of Public Services, we will try to enhance this understanding by presenting several new studies on the subject. We also introduce the concepts of co-production, co-management and co-governance as a conceptual framework that enables us to better understand such developments.

Voluntary Organizations and Public Sector Delivery examines how aspects of voluntary sector employment are affected by its engagement with the growing trend to the market-based outsourcing in the delivery of public services within industrialized countries. The volume draws together a team of well-recognized academic contributors from the UK, Canada, Australia and the United States to explore how the process of outsourcing is impacting the internal and external labor markets of voluntary organizations, and the implications for the policy objectives underlying the externalization of the delivery of public services to them. These themes of change in employment are covered in depth in the UK with dedicated chapters exploring, workforce patterns and skill needs, HR policies and practices, recruitment and selection, graduate recruitment, unionization, pay and conditions and psychological contracts in organizations. The book also contains a significant international comparative dimension with individual chapter analysis of employment issues in Australia, Canada and the United States, as well as an Anglo-German comparison.

This collection of essays had its origins in a one-day workshop held in August 2015 at The Australian National University. Jointly convened by Dr John Butcher (ANZSOG) and Professor David Gilchrist (Curtin Not-for-profit Initiative) the purpose of the workshop was to bring together academic researchers, policy practitioners and thought leaders to address a variety of emerging issues facing policymakers, public sector commissioners, not-for-profit providers of publicly funded services, and businesses interested in opportunities for social investment. The workshop itself generated a great deal of interest and a ‘baker’s dozen’ of contributors challenged and engaged a full house. The level of enthusiasm shown by the audience for the subject matter was such that the decision to curate the presentations in the form of a book was never in doubt. The editors trust that this volume will vindicate that decision. At one time the state exercised a near monopoly in the delivery of social programs. Today, almost every important public problem is a three sector problem and yet we have little idea of what a high-performing three sector production system looks like. It is the editors’ hope that this volume will provide a foundation for some answers to these important public policy questions.

Social enterprises are businesses with primarily social or environmental purposes designed to create value for the clients of the business, and to reinvest surpluses into the business or community. They serve as social innovation laboratories, and frequently collaborate with governments or other nonprofits to serve their communities and clientele. The chapters in this book discuss the development and flourishing of social enterprises in eight countries around the world, including China, India, Great Britain, the United States and the Czech Republic. Specifically, the authors cover how social enterprises are managed, how they operate with their national and local governments, and the contributions they are making to service delivery and social innovation. Different theoretical lenses are used to assess the roles that social enterprises play in the different countries, and how they relate both to the nonprofit world and their governments. This book will appeal to all students, researchers and scholars who focus on the third sector, social economy, public policy and social enterprise, as well as to intellectual social enterprise leaders and practitioners. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Public Management Review.

The concepts of social enterprise and social entrepreneurship are rapidly attracting increased attention in academic spheres and from policy-makers, as well as field workers who are setting up new initiatives or reshaping their organizations. These concepts are perceived as defining innovative and dynamic responses to major global challenges in today’s societies. The debate about social enterprise is now world-wide, with lively exchanges between American and European scholars. However, the research and landscapes still differ significantly in different regions, and diversity also exists within specific regions such as Europe. This book presents the most comprehensive set of contributions reflecting the European-wide debate, but with frequent connections to developments in other parts of the world. This book is a result of work carried out by members of the EMES International Research Network, which is a pioneer in this field. Social Enterprise and the Third Sector will appeal to all researchers who focus on the third sector, social economy and social enterprise, to MBA and postgraduate students, as well as to intellectual social enterprise leaders and practitioners. It will soon become a key reference for all those who want to explore the full richness of these concepts and follow this important academic debate.

This is the 11th report from the Public Administration Select Committee (HCP 112-I, session 2007-08, ISBN 9780215521545) and focuses on public services and the third sector. Third sector organisations include charities and not-for-profit organisations as well as social enterprises. Government has been commissioning more public service deliveries from such organisations and the Committee, in this report, seeks to assess the impact of that policy approach, looking at the effects both on government and the service users as well as the public at large. The main claim for the use of third sector delivery service is that they can deliver a distinctive service that will improve the outcomes for service users. The Committee could not find evidence to corroborate that claim and believes that the Government's priority ought to be a greater understanding of the needs of the users of particular services and then identifying the organisation best placed to fulfil such services. The Committee believes such appointments should be based on merit as established through the tendering process but that importance lies with the commissioning authorities designing service specifications which play to the strengths of the best placed organisations. The Committee further states that "intelligent commissioning" is key, and that judgements about the use of a contract or grants, the importance of price on who wins the contract and whether there is scope for innovative methods of service delivery are important in getting the best result. The Committee also identified risks, and that it is important users of such services should not be affected whether a service is provided directly by the State or contracted out and that the Human Rights Act (PGA 1998. Chp. 42, ISBN 9780105442981) and the Freedom of Information Act (PGA 2000 Chp. 36, ISBN 9780105436003) should be extended to cover all organisations providing public service. For Volume 2, oral and written evidence, see (HCP 112-II, ISBN 9780215521552).

In recent years public management research in a variety of disciplines has paid increasing attention to the role of citizens and the third sector in the provision of public services. Several of these efforts have employed the concept of co-production to better understand and explain this trend. This book aims to go further by systematizing the growing body of academic papers and reports that focus on various aspects of co-production and its potential contribution to new public governance. It has an interdisciplinary focus that makes a unique contribution to the body of knowledge in this field, at the cross-roads of a number of disciplines - including business administration, policy studies, political science, public management, sociology, third sector studies, etc. The unique presentation of them together in this volume both allows for comparing and contrasting these different perspectives and for potential theoretical collaboration and development. More particularly, this volume addresses the following concerns: What is the nature of co-production and what challenges does it face? How can we conceptualize the concept of co-production? How does co-production works in practice? How does co-production unfold in reality? What can be the effects of co-production? And more specific, firstly, how can co-production contribute to service quality and service management in public services, and secondly, what is the input of co-production on growing citizen involvement and development of participative democracy?