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Third Sector impact (TSI): The Endangered Sector? – Barriers to the Third Sector and Best Practices for Coping with Environmental Challenges

Fri, July 1, 1:30 to 3:00pm, Ersta Skondal Conference Center, Bringsalen

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Discussion

Abstract

In many European countries, nonprofits are looking back upon a long and successful tradition of nonprofit-government partnerships. However, this might soon be a story of the past. Increasingly nonprofits are confronted with a thoroughly changed environment. The European welfare state is on the retreat. Nonprofits do no longer enjoy a privileged position; instead they are treated on par with commercial providers. Moreover, in many policy fields and in particular in social services, nonprofits have to cope with austerity measures that increasingly hinder the organizations to hold on to their mission. Simultaneously, npos are affected by the mega-trend of individualization. Citizens increasingly prefer short-term commitments instead of serving on boards of nonprofits.

In sum, nonprofit organizations in Europe are confronted with increased competition, a scarcity of resources in terms of funds and personnel, and an attuned neo-liberal societal and political climate. Against his scenario the purpose of the round table is twofold:
- firstly to identify barriers, nonprofits are confronted with in European countries and which impede npos from living up to their societal and political potentials;
- secondly to illustrate how npos address the current environmental challenges by developing new and innovative approaches and hence ways-out of troublesome situations.
The presentations of the panel will draw on the results of the EU-funded project “Third Sector Impact (TSI)” coordinated by the Institute for Social Research in Oslo, which brings together ten European universities and research centers. Presentations will focus on the topic of how nonprofits in Southern, Central and Post-Communist Europe as well as in the U.K. cope with changed environments. The research in TSI is guided by a combination of the “organizational field approach” and policy analysis. Moreover, research teams in the countries under study apply a mixed method approach consisting of literature and document analysis, expert interviews (about 20 per country), focus groups (2 per country), an online survey addressing nonprofit managers and stakeholders (100 cases at least per country) and case study analysis of selected nonprofits (six per country).

The round table discussion will be started by an introduction and four presentations summarizing the current situation of nonprofit organizations in the regions and countries under study. Also each presentation will highlight one example of “best practice” as how to bypass current difficulties. The goal of the round table is to discuss from a comparative perspective results of the empirical analysis conducted under the framework of the TSI-project and furthermore, to highlight innovative approaches as to manage current challenges.

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