Rediscovering Voluntary Action: The Beat of a Different Drum

285 Pages·2013·1.125 MB·English

by  Colin Rochester (auth.)

Rediscovering Voluntary Action
This page intentionally left blank
Rediscovering Voluntary
Action
The Beat of a Different Drum
Colin Rochester
Birkbeck,UniversityofLondon,UK
©ColinRochester2013
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2013 978-1-137-02944-7
Allrightsreserved.Noreproduction,copyortransmissionofthis
publicationmaybemadewithoutwrittenpermission.
Noportionofthispublicationmaybereproduced,copiedortransmitted
savewithwrittenpermissionorinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthe
Copyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988,orunderthetermsofanylicence
permittinglimitedcopyingissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgency,
SaffronHouse,6–10KirbyStreet,LondonEC1N8TS.
Anypersonwhodoesanyunauthorizedactinrelationtothispublication
maybeliabletocriminalprosecutionandcivilclaimsfordamages.
Theauthorhasassertedhisrighttobeidentifiedastheauthorofthiswork
inaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Firstpublished2013by
PALGRAVEMACMILLAN
PalgraveMacmillanintheUKisanimprintofMacmillanPublishersLimited,
registeredinEngland,companynumber785998,ofHoundmills,Basingstoke,
HampshireRG216XS.
PalgraveMacmillanintheUSisadivisionofStMartin’sPressLLC,
175FifthAvenue,NewYork,NY10010.
PalgraveMacmillanistheglobalacademicimprintoftheabovecompanies
andhascompaniesandrepresentativesthroughouttheworld.
Palgrave®andMacmillan®areregisteredtrademarksintheUnitedStates,
theUnitedKingdom,Europeandothercountries.
ISBN 978-1-137-02945-4 ISBN 978-1-137-02946-1 (eBook)
DOI10.1057/9781137029461
Thisbookisprintedonpapersuitableforrecyclingandmadefromfully
managedandsustainedforestsources.Logging,pulpingandmanufacturing
processesareexpectedtoconformtotheenvironmentalregulationsofthe
countryoforigin.
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
AcatalogrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress.
Contents
ListofFiguresandTables vii
Acknowledgements viii
ListofAbbreviations x
1 Introduction:WhytheTheoryandPracticeofVoluntary
ActionNeedRethinking 1
Part I TheContext
2 RevisitingtheRootsofVoluntaryAction 15
3 TheInventionoftheVoluntarySectorandits
Consequences 36
4 TheInventionofVoluntaryWorkanditsConsequences 53
Part II PressuresandInfluences
5 APerilousPartnership?VoluntaryActionandtheState 69
6 SellingOut?VoluntaryActionandtheMarket 85
7 TheHegemonyoftheBureaucraticModel 99
8 ThePressurefromWithin 112
Part III AlternativePerspectives
9 Governance,OwnershipandControl 133
10 WhatIsVoluntaryActionFor? 147
11 TheFallaciesofManagerialism 161
12 Towardsa‘RoundEarth’MapofVolunteering 176
13 DissentingVoices:TheCaseoftheNationalCoalitionfor
IndependentAction 189
v
vi Contents
Part IV ConclusionsandImplications
14 TheParadoxofSectorisation 205
15 TowardsanAlternativeParadigm 216
16 TheImplicationsofRethinkingVoluntaryAction 231
References 245
Index 258
Figures and Tables
Figures
7.1 ThetraditionalABCmodel 101
7.2 TheBillis‘worlds’theory 107
12.1 Athreeperspectivesmodel 181
Tables
15.1 Theconventionalorganisationalmodel 221
16.1 Asectortypology 236
vii
Acknowledgements
IcouldnothavewrittenthisbookwithouttheeducationIhavereceived
atthehandsofmanypeople–fartoomanytoacknowledgeproperly–
duringthe45yearsIhaveworkedwithvolunteersandvoluntaryorgan-
isations. In my early years, as a practitioner, I benefitted from working
withaseriesofinspiringcolleagues–intheWorkers’EducationalAsso-
ciation (WEA), at Cambridge House and Talbot Settlement and in the
wider networks of the British Association of Settlements and Social
ActionCentre(BASSAC) andthevoluntarysector inSouthwark.Inmy
secondcareerasaresearcherandteacherIhavehadthegreatgoodfor-
tunetoworkwithcolleaguesattheLondonSchoolofEconomics(LSE)
CentreforVoluntaryOrganisation,atRoehamptonUniversityandwith
theInstituteforVolunteeringResearchaswellasinthreeassociationsof
researchers–theAssociationforResearchonVoluntaryAction(ARVAC);
theVoluntarySectorStudiesNetwork(VSSN);andtheVoluntaryAction
History Society (VAHS). And my thinking has been shaped by fruitful
encounters with a series of students who have taught me more than
Imanagedtoteachthem–inWEAclassesandinpostgraduatecourses
attheLSEandatRoehampton.
I hope the many who remain unmentioned by name will not mind
ifIsingleoutasmallernumberofpeoplewhohavemademorespecific
contributions to the development of the book. In the first place, my
intellectual debt to David Billis will be clear to the reader and I count
myself very fortunate indeed to have enjoyed his support and encour-
agementasteacher,colleague,mentorandfriend.IfDavidhasprovided
me with the means of writing the book, others have given me valu-
ableassistanceinconvertingavagueaspirationintothefinishedarticle.
IreceivedagreatdealofinitialencouragementfromJurgenGrotz,who
proddedmeuntilIhaddevelopedtheoriginaloutlinefortheworkand
provided me with an early platform for sharing some of my ideas at
anARVACevent.IamgratefultoAndyBensonandPennyWaterhouse
for their enthusiastic support and, with other members of NCIA, for
their contribution to the series of seminars at Roehampton University
where I clarified and tested my thinking. I should also like to thank
the other friends and colleagues who took part in these critical discus-
sions.IamverymuchindebtedtomyformercolleaguesatRoehampton,
viii
Acknowledgements ix
Steven Howlett and Bill Rushbrooke, who, as well as providing general
encouragementandsupport,havehelpedinveryspecificandpractical
ways. Steven took on the lion’s share of organising the seminar series
andBillreviewedtheoriginaldraftofmymanuscript.Mypartner,Meta
Zimmeck, has been a tower of strength and a candid critic: she has
readthemanuscriptwithgreatcare,suggestingimprovementstoitand
eliminating a number of blemishes, as well as helping me through the
darktimeswhenIwonderedifIwouldevercompletethetaskIhadset
myself. Finally, I need to add the conventional but necessary caveat:
any errors of fact, judgement or taste in what follows are the sole
responsibilityoftheauthor.