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Big Society or Civil Society?

Big Society or Civil Society?. Professor Pete Alcock Director. Labour Government Legacy. Partnership Strategic investment Political profile Growth in public support 2008 - £13 bn; 36% of charity income (England and Wales, NCVO Almanac, 2010). General Election Campaign.

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Big Society or Civil Society?

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  1. Big Society or Civil Society? Professor Pete Alcock Director

  2. Labour Government Legacy Partnership Strategic investment Political profile Growth in public support 2008 - £13 bn; 36% of charity income (England and Wales, NCVO Almanac, 2010)

  3. General Election Campaign Consensus – welcome third sector…. • Community empowerment • Public services • Compact • Social Investment Bank

  4. Coalition Government Minister for Civil Society – Nick Hurd Cabinet Office – Francis Maud House of Lords – Nat Wei May 18 – PM and DPM Big Society at the heart of public sector reform…

  5. Coalition Policy Building the Big Society – though Big Society dropped during election campaign • Easier to set-up and run charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations • Public sector workers – employee-owned co-operatives

  6. Coalition Policy • Remove ‘red tape’ – market prices for public sector contracts (‘level playing field’) • Big Society Bank – from dormant bank accounts • National Citizens Service for 16 year olds • Big Society Day – workplace volunteering (from civil service to civic service)

  7. Coalition Policy • Train new generation of 5000 community organisers, to become self-funding • Devolve power to local government – and drive down to neighbourhoods and communities Mending ‘Broken Britain’ or remixing the welfare state?

  8. Big Society A legacy to match the ‘welfare state’! Nat Wei – Coral Reef analogy • sea bed – public services • coral growth – social and private enterprises • fish – citizens and communities

  9. Big Society or Civil Society Review of horizontal investment – Futurebuilders, Capacitybuilders, V End of Third Sector? Office of the Third Sector → Office for Civil Society

  10. Responding to the Big Society What is Civil Society? – social relations not organisational structure “Charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations….” Problems of inclusion and exclusion – loss of strategic unity

  11. Policy Dilemmas • Loss of unified policy platform • Community empowerment – vs – public service restructuring • Reductions in horizontal and infrastructure support • Competition, restructuring and division within the sector?

  12. Practical Challenges • Change in public contracting • Cuts in public expenditure • Loss of horizontal support • Competition and collaboration in third sector organisations • Maintaining sector unity

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