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.

Bjarne Ibsen is Professor and Head of the Research Centre for Sports, Health and Civil Society, at the University of Southern Denmark.

Auteur

Bjarne Ibsen is Professor and Head of the Research Centre for Sports, Health and Civil Society, at the University of Southern Denmark.

Contenu

1. Introduction (Bjarne Ibsen).- 2. Interactions between local government and voluntary organizations: theoretical perspectives (Bernard Enjolras and Håkon Trætteberg).- 3. Public and civic social services: potentials for participatory democracy (Thomas P. Boje).- 4. Voluntary-public sector collaboration in Norway from a municipal perspective: Variations according to fields of responsibility (Ivar Eimhjellen).- 5. Voluntary-public sector co-production in Denmark: Why differences between welfare areas? (Bjarne Ibsen, Klaus Levinsen, Michael Fehsenfeld and Evald Bundgaard Iversen).- 6. The attitude of the population towards the involvement of volunteers in elderly care. Results from a survey experiment in Norway (Dag Arne Christensen, Rune Ervik and Tord Skogedal Lindén).- 7. Associationalism and Co-production: A comparison of two ideals for participatory democracy (Bjarne Ibsen).- 8. Innovation without participation? The counterfactuals of community co-production (Morten Frederiksen, Lars Skov Henriksen and Ane Grubb).- 9. Civil society organizations and municipalities in changing times: potentials and pitfalls in the collaborative turn (Helle Hygum Espersen, Linda Lundgaard Andersen and Anne Tortzen).- 10. Co-producing neighbourhood safety and the role of police perceptions: a case study of the Danish police co-commissioning with ethnic minority associations (Marianne Staal Stougaard and Klaus Levinsen).- 11. Place-based co-production: Working with voluntarism in Danish urban regeneration (Annika Agger and Jesper Ole Jensen).- 12. Micro conditions for co-production: Values, levels, and satisfaction with co-production in a non-profit welfare organization (Ola Segnestam Larsson, Charlotte Forsberg and Thomas Schneider).- 13. Collective co-production in Scandinavian countries: Conclusion and discussion across the book's chapters (Bjarne Ibsen).