Instituting the 'third sector' as a governable terrain: partnership, procurement and performance in the UK

Emma Carmel, Jenny Harlock

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

216 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

In this article we argue that governance of the 'dispersed state' is being extended into the quasi-private realm of voluntary and community organisations and their activities. Focusing on public service delivery, we distinguish the formal and operational dimensions of governance, and argue that the goal of partnership carves out a newly governable terrain - the third sector - which is to be organised through the operational governance mechanisms of procurement and performance. The result is the attempted normalisation of VCOs as market-responsive, generic service providers, disembedded from their social and political contexts and denuded of ethical or moral content and purpose. Reprinted by permission of the Policy Press, University of Bristol, School for Advanced Urban Studies
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)155-172
Number of pages18
JournalPolicy & Politics
Volume36
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008

Keywords

  • Community
  • Citizenship
  • Public administration
  • Political sociology
  • Voluntary organizations
  • European Union.
  • Public management
  • Governance
  • Policy studies

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