The Three Sectors: Voluntarism in a Changing Political Economy

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Abstract
The structure of the third, or independent sector, is analyzed in this paper from the perspective of its place in an integrated political economy. Using the method of John Dewey to distinguish acts that are public from those that are private, a set of propositions are developed regarding the close links between voluntarism and the acts of corporate and governmental institutions. This interrelated social reality is examined in terms of major approaches of social scientists. Functionalist approaches are found to predominate over interpretive, radical structuralist, and radical hu manist paradigms in the area of voluntary action research. Drawing on recent British experience, it is suggested that approaches to research might benefit from the development of a full-blown theory of mediating institutions. The paper concludes with a brief examination of policy issues in contemporary voluntarism, and points to the importance of what Meister has called the role of voluntary associations in contributing to self-management in a postindustrial society.

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