Voluntary organisations and local government: lessons from a Danish case study |
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Authors: | Lars Skov Henriksen |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Social Studies and Organization, Aalborg University, Kroghstr?de 7, 9220, Aalborg 0, Denmark
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Abstract: | The purpose of this article is to analyse the changing relationships between local government and voluntary organisations
in the decentralised Danish welfare state within the field of social policy. Here major changes in public discourse have brought
voluntary organisations more to the forefront in a welfare state model whose distinct public character might be fading. However,
little attention has been devoted to potential problems resulting from intensified co-operation. The article explores these
issues using evidence from a case study of the links between public authorities and seven voluntary organisations in the city
of Aalborg in northern Jutland. This case study raises the question of whether voluntary organisations, as argued in public
debate, can generally be regarded as the antithesis of the bureaucratically and paternalistically organised public social
services. Rather, they seem to be co-actors, actively constructing new paradigms and practices in social policy, that cannot
be captured in conventional dichotomous models. This suggests that the public bureaucracy versus altruistic voluntary organisation,
or distinctions usually made between professional and volunteer motives, may be of limited use.
The author wishes to thank Per Selle for his helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper. Special thanks to Catharina
J. Kristensen and Claus B. Olsen for their help with the English version. |
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