Voluntary And Public Sector Collaboration In Scandinavia

In thirteen chapters, the contributors to this volume analyse the different dimensions of a new form of collaboration, termed collective co-production, in the Scandinavian countries. It is a characteristic of the Scandinavian countries – Sweden, Norway and Denmark - that they have both a large public and voluntary sector. For decades, the dominant type of collaboration between the two sectors has consisted of the public sector providing financial support to organisations in the voluntary sector, while the activities are undertaken by the organisation itself. In recent times, however, a new discourse has emerged, with a strong political focus on developing closer collaboration between the two sectors. The book analyses collective co-production between the voluntary and public sectors, and identifies what distinguishes this form of collaboration from others. It looks at the scope of collective co-production, how and why it differs between welfare areas, as well as the political vision for co-production and the extent to which it lives up to those expectations. This discourse promotes a type of collaboration wherein organisations, associations and volunteers can participate in the implementation of tasks for which public institutions are responsible. The book is a valuable resource for professionals in voluntary organizations and public welfare units working with co-production and for researchers and students in the fields of civil society, voluntary sector and welfare policy.

Since the 1990’s, a number of studies have documented a remarkable high and stable amount of popular engagement in civic organizations in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Often these countries have been considered deviant cases against the proliferating decline of social capital studies. However, despite great international interest in the Scandinavian region, the volume argues that the civil societies and the civic engagement of these countries remain poorly understood. Most interest in the Scandinavian welfare models addresses the balance between state and market, but under communicates the role played by civil society and popular engagement in associations and voluntary organizations. The contributions offer a coherent portrait of stability and change in formal and informal forms of civic engagement over the past 25 years as well as offering contextualized knowledge of the history and institutional design in which Scandinavian civil societies are embedded.

This book aims at presenting a conceptual apparatus and empirical analysis of the ways Nordic civil society is affected by social transformations by focusing on the Norwegian case. The Norwegian empirical focus allows identifying processes and factors of change that are relevant outside this context and enable us to understand, on a more general basis, the relationship between social transformations and transformations affecting the voluntary sector. This book will make an original contribution to the field of comparative civil society studies both by increasing the available knowledge on the Nordic civil society model and by analyzing the societal transformations affecting civil society over time.

Non-profit Organizations and Co-production:The Logics Shaping Professional and Citizen Collaboration develops a novel framework for analyzing the practices of co-production between citizens and professionals in the non-profit sector. Analysing organizations in three contexts (Sheffield, England; Lyon, France; and Montreal, Quebec, Canada), the book examines the international differences between non-profits, evidenced by the way that they variously blend or assimilate the logics of the market, state and community, and how this shapes the motivations for and approaches to co-production at the micro level in each context. This book presents a major step forward in comparative non-profit studies and the co-production of public services. This book will be of interest to researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and graduate/ postgraduate students in public administration and management, particularly within Public & Nonprofit Management and Organization Studies. The book speaks directly to key contemporary debates in these fields, including the nature of organizational hybridity, public service innovation and approaches to service user involvement.

The contributors examine the voluntary & non-profit sectors in Europe. They discuss a number of issues regarding this 'third' sector.

The Nordic welfare states are facing significant demographic challenges now and in the future. At the same time life expectancy of the citizens is increasing. Thus more senior citizens need to be cared for by still fewer young people of taxable age. This development undermines the financial sustainability of the Nordic welfare state and presents a major medium to long-term challenge for the Nordic countries, if the high welfare service levels are to be sustained in the decades to come. One of the solutions to this challenge could be the implementation of new welfare technologies and innovative solutions which can increase efficiency of service providers and deliver more value for money. The aim of the project is to increase knowledge about public-private partnerships in the five Nordic countries, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland, with a focus on the welfare sectors in these countries. Focus is on the following sectors: children and youth, elderly and handicapped, disease prevention, education, treatment and rehabilitation. The overall objective is to increase understanding of approaches, effects and perspectives in the use of public-private partnerships, in particular public-private innovation partnerships. This includes the use of public-private partnerships as a strategic tool for new business development for welfare solutions in the Nordic region.

When well functioning national welfare states are put under pressure, also the tasks of civic society and citizens' mutual responsibility are being re-defined. Hence, the significance of the civic society organisations in one of the most successful and stable circumstances of welfare states - in Northern Europe - is of great interest. This publication gives a first comprehensive overview of existing research on civic society organisations in the area of welfare services in the five Nordic countries. Besides a comparative Nordic analysis, focussed national contributions are provided. Finally, leading European researchers connect the Nordic debate in to a stimulating European context. How far are the Nordic welfare traditions still of significance, since all welfare states are similarly challenged by the global market economy? Can welfare organisations provide opportunities even for the most vulnerable groups to achieve full citizenship?