Panoramic 2014 of associations of Barcelona. Innovation from the values

• In Event: Research and knowledge production on the third sector.

Abstract

The Panoramic 2014 of associations of Barcelona is a pioneer research focused to expand de knowledge about network associations. The proposal aims to make visible the role of associations of the city of Barcelona. This goal is structured in two parts, the methodology proposed and the presentation of the main results and findings in relations with the dimension of non-profits and historical review, affiliation and participation and gender perspective. As well, the Panoramic analyse the use of public and private spaces as part of the analysis of citizen participation in municipal life.

Meeting spaces between non-profit organizations often become environments of participatory creation where people think about topics of interest to the whole sector that often cannot be considered in the day-to-day organization. This is the case of the Second Congress of the Associations of Barcelona, held in 2010 and 2011. Throughout the lecture revealed the need to know the dimension of associations in a city with a long tradition of this form of citizen participation like Barcelona.

A total of 720 non-profit organizations participated in the study. To guarantee the representation of territories, thematic áreas and organizations sizes, it works in a stratification sample with control quotes. The total population was estimate from the general non-profits file with regression estimates and other probabilities test.

Some of the main results obtained indicate there are 550.000 people linked tot associations and 130.000 volunteers. There is concentration of associative activity in some historic districts of the city like Ciutat Vella -18%- or Eixample -20%-. In these neighbourhoods it is also produced a capital effect, that means a concentration of organization with activity above the municipal territory.

Participation in organizations is characterized by a large number of people in institution with more seniority, mainly cultural organization and also boy scout. In contrast, younger non-profit organizations have fewer people linked. This fact, it seems to be explained not only by youth but also for new forms of community participation linked to the context of crisis from last years.

Gender participation is also analysed in Panoramic and it show some different between women and men. Assembly participation is higher between women (57%), but on boards direction this number go down six points (51%).

Authors

• Pau Vidal, Observatorio del Tercer Sector

• Maria Montserrat Fernández, Observatori Tercer Sector