With apologies for cross-posting, the following may be of interest to list subscribers. And a forthcoming piece (this week, in the Guardian) responds to the theme of ‘charity deserts’ highlighted in a recent publication by the UK think tank, the centre for social justice.

John Mohan

TSRC Research Update January 2014       -       To open in browser window click here<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-A5C5TFHE8F/cr.aspx>.



RESEARCH UPDATE
January 2014


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[Salaries]









New connections
- European Third Sector Impact



TSRC is playing a significant role in a major FP7-funded consortium led by the Norwegian Institute for Social Research on the impact of the third sector on socio-economic development in Europe.

The main objective of the research project is to create knowledge that will further advance the contributions that the third sector and volunteering can make to the socio-economic development of Europe. To take full advantage of the resources in the third sector we need a clearer understanding of its scope and scale, its existing and potential impact, and the barriers to its full contribution, all of which are factors that will be investigated in this project. More information is available at the socialresearch.no website here...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKCJ-1/c.aspx>

For TSRC the project is a significant opportunity to place our extensive programme of UK research in an international comparative context.







IN THIS UPDATE



European Third Sector Impact

Social enterprise hybridity

Workforce:
· Is volunteering...?
· A Work Programme for all?
· Employment in N. England
· High pay: the big picture
· Workforce resilience

Service delivery:
· Have the rules changed?
· Older people's services
· Government and the
  development of civil society

The environmental sector

Third Sector Knowledge Portal

TSRC events this month










Social enterprise - the defining characteristics

Interest in social enterprise has progressed beyond the early focus of definitions and context. Authors Doherty, Haugh, and Lyon identify hybridity, and the pursuit of the dual mission of financial sustainability and social purpose as the defining characteristics of social enterprises. Their full article, ‘Social Enterprises as Hybrid Organizations: a review and research agenda’, is published in the International Journal of Management Reviews, January 2014. Open access to the full article here...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKBP-1/c.aspx>








WORKFORCE





Is volunteering... a solution to socio-economic problems?

In tough economic times, with demand for many forms of social service increasing and government funding being cut, the role of volunteers has gained increasing political prominence as a means of tackling social problems, particularly at a local level. What, realistically, can be expected? Read TSRC's Volunteering Research Digest here...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKC9-1/c.aspx>











Is volunteering... a route to employment?

Using insights from the British Household Panel Survey and beyond, Angela Ellis Paine, Steve McKay and Domenico Moro questioned whether there is proof that volunteering improves employability. Policy interest in the role of volunteering as a route to employment is enduring, with an assumption that links between volunteering, employability, and employment are positive and straightforward – but are they? Access the Voluntary Sector Review article<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKCD-1/c.aspx>, and related TSRC Working Paper here...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKCQ-1/c.aspx>











Support for all in the Work Programme?

Quantitative + Qualitative research = a thorough exploration of whether ‘creaming’ and ‘parking’ are widespread and systematically embedded in the government's flagship employment scheme.

TSRC Working Paper 115 argues that they are - driven by a combination of intense cost-pressures and extremely ambitious performance targets, alongside overly diverse claimant groups and inadequately calibrated differentiated payment levels. James Rees, Adam Whitworth and Eleanor Carter ask: has the Work Programme struck the right balance between value for money, incentives, and claimant protections? Read more here...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKC5-1/c.aspx>











Employment in the North of England
- what happened to the 'boom and bust' years?

A recent journal article by Rafferty, Rees, Sensier, and Harding, ‘Understanding Growth and Recession: under employment and the labour market in the North of England’, assesses the recent employment history of the north describing its performance and examining changes in the patterns of employment following the recession in 2008/09. MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "tsrcnews.org.uk" claiming to be More details on the article at springer.com here...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKBN-1/c.aspx>








Analysis: high pay in charities


High salaries are the exception rather than the rule in the charitable sector, but media coverage begs to differ, avoiding factors such as the exceptional scale of some organisations.

Figures show that there are around 2000 charities with annual budgets in excess of £10 million, some 60 of which spend over£100 million a year; financial information alone does not describe the complexity of their workloads. Are higher salaries really excessive for such responsibilities?

  *   Read John Mohan's analysis for more detail here…<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKC1-1/c.aspx>
  *   On 17 December 2013, TSRC’s written evidence on the issue was considered by the parliamentary Public Administration Select Committee. The full submission document can be downloaded here (PDF)...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKBV-1/c.aspx>
  *   Third Sector Magazine covered TSRC’s work with NCVO on high pay in charities here...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKCN-1/c.aspx>











A workforce with resilience



Steve McKay reports in Third Sector Extra<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKCL-1/c.aspx> that the the sector values life experience. The data shows that employment in the sector was more resilient in the decade 2001-2011 than many would have predicted.








PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY





Have the rules changed for public service delivery?

TSRC research spans the transition from New Labour to Coalition government and consequently provides valuable evidence about some of the key changes that have occurred, as well as revealing continuities in government policy and practice towards the third sector.

Read TSRC's Public Service Delivery Research Digest here...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKC3-1/c.aspx>











Older people's prevention services
- local authority and third sector perspectives

Independent research funded by the NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR) finds that third sector organisations (TSOs) have historically played a significant role in the delivery of adult social care. TSOs remain a popular choice with local authority commissioners as providers of preventative services.

Recent research has identified positive aspects within the current arrangements but also gaps in setting and understanding outcomes.  Read the research report here<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKBR-1/c.aspx> (PDF)...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKBR-1/c.aspx>











Has government policy supported
the development of a strong civil society?

Rob Macmillan considers key developments in the policy context focusing on market-making in support services, through a discussion of the Big Lottery Fund’s ‘building capabilities’ framework and the promotion of ‘demand-led’ capacity building. The latest article is published online in Voluntary Sector Review here<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKCF-1/c.aspx>, and previous related work is available free here...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKC7-1/c.aspx>





ENVIRONMENT





Environmental third sector - a distinctive field of activity?

The third sector has a long history of environmental action and yet we lack systematic knowledge of the size, scope and activities of third sector organisations with an environmental mission. David Clifford has set about mapping the environmental third sector in England and discusses his work in a recent article in Voluntary Sector Review<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKCB-1/c.aspx>.








THIRD SECTOR KNOWLEDGE PORTAL


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As 2014 begins, over 6,000 works have now been added to the Knowledge Portal<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKCH-1/c.aspx> - TSRC's easy-to-use online library of third sector research, evidence, and analysis.

The Portal is a curated collection of links and downloads, with no need for users to register. Works are selected for inclusion from a wide range of quality-approved sources, providing a reliable information resource for third sector practitioners, academics, and policy makers.

This could be a useful tool for you, or lead a wider audience to your own work.

Please contact Portal Manager Pete Lambert<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKBT-1/c.aspx> for more information.








UPCOMING EVENTS





15 January 2014
A good place to be a man? Gender, work and well-being in the third sector.
TSRC Birmingham
12:00–14:00
Daiga Kamerāde and Steve McKay discuss data that shows a marked gender difference in levels of well-being reported by third sector workers. Details...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKBX-1/c.aspx>

21 January 2014
“Very small, very quiet, a whisper …” - Black and Minority Ethnic groups: voice and influence
TSRC Birmingham
12:00–14:00
Phil Ware, Associate Fellow. Details...<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKBZ-1/c.aspx>

6 February 2014
Understanding difference: the importance of place and space in the shaping of regional social economies.
TSRC Birmingham
12:00-14:00
Micaela Mezzai, University of Durham. Details to follow.

19 February 2014
Border disputes – the challenge of time banking
TSRC Birmingham
12:00-14:00
Lee Gregory, University of Birmingham. Details to follow.



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Third Sector Research Centre<http://tsrcnews.org.uk/A1N-23LNC-C5TFHE-VHKCP-1/c.aspx>


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