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| Third Sector Research Centre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Third Sector Research Centre |
| Established | 2008 |
| Type | Research centre |
| Director | --- |
| Location | Birmingham, England |
| Affiliations | University of Birmingham; University of Southampton; University of Kent; University of Portsmouth |
Third Sector Research Centre
The Third Sector Research Centre was an empirical research institute based in Birmingham, England, formed to study the voluntary, nonprofit, and civil society sectors in the United Kingdom. It drew on comparative methods from scholars associated with University of Birmingham, University of Southampton, University of Kent, University of Portsmouth, and linked policy networks involving Cabinet Office (United Kingdom), Office for Civil Society, Big Society Network, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, and international bodies such as the European Commission, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, United Nations Development Programme. The centre produced datasets, evaluations, and briefings used by think tanks, parliamentary committees, and philanthropic foundations including Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Barclays Bank, Big Lottery Fund, Nesta, and Trust for London.
The centre originated from a 2007–2008 initiative involving academics from University of Birmingham, University of Southampton, University of Kent, and University of Portsmouth alongside advisors from Cabinet Office (United Kingdom), Office for Civil Society, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Charity Commission for England and Wales, and funders such as Economic and Social Research Council, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Barclays Bank. It was formally launched amid policy debates linked to the 2010 United Kingdom general election and the subsequent commissioning of the Big Society Network agenda promoted by ministers in the Coalition government of the United Kingdom, 2010–2015. Over its operational span the centre collaborated with research groups at London School of Economics, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Manchester University, and international partners like Harvard Kennedy School, University of Toronto, Australian National University, and European University Institute.
Governance structures drew on university research governance models at University of Birmingham and partner institutions, with advisory inputs from figures connected to Charity Commission for England and Wales, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Big Society Network, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and academic networks including Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action and European Research Centre for Philanthropy. The centre reported through academic committees at host universities and maintained stakeholder advisory panels comprising representatives from Local Government Association, Greater London Authority, Scottish Government, Wales Council for Voluntary Action, and funders such as Economic and Social Research Council and Barclays Bank.
Research themes covered organizational resilience, social innovation, voluntarism, public service delivery, and civil society-state relations, engaging literatures and methods associated with social policy, public administration, and comparative studies involving networks like OECD and European Commission. Priority topics included the study of nonprofit finance and sustainability with reference to actors such as Big Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, Trusts and Foundations, research on service delivery partnerships with National Health Service (England), NHS England, and studies of civic engagement referencing Turnout in the United Kingdom general elections, Local Government Association initiatives, and community-based movements connected to Occupy movement and 2011 England riots analyses.
Major projects included longitudinal surveys of voluntary organizations, impact evaluations of social enterprises, and comparative analyses of welfare mixes; outputs were disseminated as working papers, policy briefings, and peer-reviewed articles in outlets associated with Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Journal of Social Policy, Voluntas, and edited volumes published by partners such as Policy Press. Signature publications engaged topics connecting nonprofit finance to austerity measures debated in the United Kingdom Parliament and were cited in reports by National Audit Office, House of Commons Library, Cabinet Office (United Kingdom), and policy units at Institute for Government, Institute for Public Policy Research, and Demos. Collaborative datasets were used by researchers at London School of Economics, University of Manchester, King's College London, and international scholars at Yale University and University of California, Berkeley.
The centre’s evidence was used in consultations by Cabinet Office (United Kingdom), submissions to House of Commons Select Committee inquiries, and advisory inputs to the Charity Commission for England and Wales, influencing debates on regulation, financial sustainability, and commissioning practices involving National Health Service (England), Local Government Association, and regional combined authorities such as Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Its work informed policymaking reported in briefings by Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Big Lottery Fund, Trust for London, and civic advocacy by National Council for Voluntary Organisations and shaped academic curricula at host institutions including University of Birmingham and University of Southampton.
Core funding combined grants from the Economic and Social Research Council, philanthropic investments from Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Barclays Bank, and commissioning from public bodies including Cabinet Office (United Kingdom), Big Lottery Fund, and local authorities such as Birmingham City Council and Manchester City Council. Partnerships extended to academic collaborators at London School of Economics, Oxford University, Cambridge University, think tanks like Institute for Public Policy Research and Institute of Economic Affairs, and international networks including European Commission research calls and exchanges with United Nations Development Programme offices.
Critiques addressed potential proximity to funders and policy actors such as Cabinet Office (United Kingdom), Big Society Network, and Barclays Bank, with commentators from Institute for Public Policy Research, Demos, and civil society campaigners arguing about research independence and agenda-setting. Debates in media outlets and parliamentary inquiries invoked perspectives from National Council for Voluntary Organisations and Charity Commission for England and Wales about the role of research in legitimizing commissioning models and austerity-era reforms promoted by the Coalition government of the United Kingdom, 2010–2015.