Conference Paper/Proceeding/Abstract 59 views
A polarisation between localism and scale: Voluntary sector service provision
Leanne Greening
British Sociological Association
Swansea University Author: Leanne Greening
Abstract
The Voluntary Sector (VS) has a pivotal role to play in helping to build global equality and justice. The diverse range of organisations that comprise the sector predominantly exist to address social issuesfacing communities, societies and publics. Services provided are vast and, in many cases, volu...
| Published in: | British Sociological Association |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68762 |
| Abstract: |
The Voluntary Sector (VS) has a pivotal role to play in helping to build global equality and justice. The diverse range of organisations that comprise the sector predominantly exist to address social issuesfacing communities, societies and publics. Services provided are vast and, in many cases, voluntary work, just like paid work, can be highly stressful and challenging. One such example is that of ‘crisisvolunteers’ who deliver services through crisis hotlines (Aguirre and Bolton 2013). Voluntary Organisations (VOs) exist, and have done for decades, in a perpetual state of uncertainty and instability due to staggeringly low levels of funding and the changing political landscape. In particular, political ideologies have tried to reduce the direct role of the state in the provision of public services and transfer theresponsibility to non-state actors, thereby facilitating widespread VS involvement (Jessop 2002). In their attempts to secure funding (and survive), many organisations are forced to alter their behaviours, capacities and identities as a way of enhancing their competitive appeal (Cunningham 2016). In doing so, they fortuitously wind up mimicking the approach of professional, state-funded services; a model that has not been designed for VS service provision. Reflecting on 40 semi-structured interviews with volunteers, this paper reveals a series of tensions and contradictions that arise in the social order of these organisations. It posits that the blurring distinction between voluntary and statutory services threatens the commitment and retention of volunteers who are often left disenfranchised, displaced and disempowered. |
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| Item Description: |
Theme: Building Equality and Justice NowLocation: Virtual |
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Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |