This Handbook is the first attempt to systematically examine, empirically and analytically, the contours of the third sector policy process in the European Union (EU). While scholarship on the social, economic and political contributions of organisations existing between the market and the state has proliferated in recent years, no sustained attention has previously been paid to how such organisations are collectively treated by, and respond to, public policy. The expert contributors examine the policy environment for, and evolving policy treatment of, the third sector in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom from a comparative perspective. They also look at how the third sector relates to multi-level European policy processes, including the Open Method of Co-ordination, the Community Method, nationally-led 'partnership' approaches within an overall EU framework and the United Nations International Year of Volunteering; an initiative implemented in the EU but originating externally. Providing a rich and compelling examination of a crucially important aspect of policymaking, this unique Handbook will fill a major gap in the knowledge of both general policy analysts and specialists in third sector studies. Researchers and students in the overlapping fields of organised civil society, voluntary and third sector studies and the non-profit sector will also warmly welcome this important book.

Serving as an introduction to the UK's voluntary sector, this book builds on an earlier book published by the same author. Using a comparative perspective to place the UK voluntary sector in perspective, this book considers its scope, scale and structure, as well as the impact of voluntary sector activities on society. Based on both qualitative and quantitative evidence, the book includes statistical mapping of the sector, as well as semi-structured interviews conducted with voluntary sector policy actors. A much-needed addition to the current literature, The Voluntary Sector provides a theoretical framework and in-depth analysis of an increasingly important area.

Serving as an introduction to the UK's voluntary sector, this book builds on an earlier book published by the same author. Using a comparative perspective to place the UK voluntary sector in perspective, this book considers its scope, scale and structure, as well as the impact of voluntary sector activities on society. Based on both qualitative and quantitative evidence, the book includes statistical mapping of the sector, as well as semi-structured interviews conducted with voluntary sector policy actors. A much-needed addition to the current literature, The Voluntary Sector provides a theoretical framework and in-depth analysis of an increasingly important area.

Contents:
1. Introduction: third sector policy at the crossroads: continuity and change in the world of nonprofit organizations Helmut K. Anheier, Lisa Carlson and Jeremy Kendall
2. The nonprofit sector at a crossroads: the case of America Lester M. Salamon
3. Putting narrow-mindedness out of countenance: the UK voluntary sector in the new millennium Nicholas Deakin
4. Decentering America's nonprofit sector: reflections on Salamon's crisis analysis Jennifer Wolch
5. What crises, what challenges? When nonprofitness makes no difference Paul Dekker
6. The role of philanthropic foundations: lessons from America's experience with private foundations Julian Wolpert and Elizabeth T. Boris
7. Corporate philanthropy's future Dwight F. Burlingame
8. On the role of Philanthropic foundations: lessons from America's experience with private foundations Diana Leat
9. Corporatism revisited: the legacy of history and the German nonprofit sector Annette Zimmer
10. The third sector and the European Union policy process: an initial evaluation Jeremy Kendall and Helmut K. Anheier
11. The distortion between institutionalized and noninstitutionalized NPOs: new policy initiatives and nonprofit organizations in Japan Masayuki Deguchi
12. The American third sector at the end of the twentieth century: public and private revisited Eleanor L. Brilliant
13. NGOs and their vulnerabilities during the time of transition: the case of Poland Joanna Regulska
14. Different eastern European countries at different crossroads Éva Kuti
15. Civil organizations in Mexico: recent evolutions and current prospects José Luis Méndez
16. Beyond the crossroads: policy issues for the Philippine nonprofit sector Ledivina V. Cariño
17. South Africa: anti-apartheid NGOs in transition Adam Habib and Rupert Taylor
18. Conclusion: the third sector at the crossroads? Social, political and economic dynamics Helmut K. Anheier and Jeremy Kendall

This Handbook is the first attempt to systematically examine, empirically and analytically, the contours of the third sector policy process in the European Union (EU). While scholarship on the social, economic and political contributions of organisations existing between the market and the state has proliferated in recent years, no sustained attention has previously been paid to how such organisations are collectively treated by, and respond to, public policy. The expert contributors examine the policy environment for, and evolving policy treatment of, the third sector in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom from a comparative perspective. They also look at how the third sector relates to multi-level European policy processes, including the Open Method of Co-ordination, the Community Method, nationally-led 'partnership' approaches within an overall EU framework and the United Nations International Year of Volunteering; an initiative implemented in the EU but originating externally. Providing a rich and compelling examination of a crucially important aspect of policymaking, this unique Handbook will fill a major gap in the knowledge of both general policy analysts and specialists in third sector studies. Researchers and students in the overlapping fields of organised civil society, voluntary and third sector studies and the non-profit sector will also warmly welcome this important book.

Bringing together the voices of leading experts in the field, this edition offers an up-to-date and diverse review of the best in social policy scholarship over the past year. The book considers a range of current issues and critical debates in UK and international social policy field. It contains vital research, including discussions on the changing landscape of occupational as well as corporate welfare in the UK, the continuing impact of austerity on various social policy areas and the challenges currently faced by the NHS. Published in association with the SPA, this comprehensive analysis of the current state of social policy will be of interest to students and academics in social policy, social welfare and related disciplines.