Reflections on 'The Big Society'

Sport volunteering, active citizenship and social capital enhancement: what role in the ‘Big Society’?

“…While the relative achievements of the significant, possibly profligate (Scott 2011), investment into sport that has arisen in recent years is open to debate, the paradoxical nature of much of this investment has provided ammunition for opponents of a broad welfare state and 'Big Government' to challenge the efficacy of 'top-down', deterministic approaches to government intervention and advocate welfare reform through increased social responsibility, community empowerment, devolving policy action to localities, and above all reducing state control and function (Blond 2010;Alcock 2010;Stott 2011).…”

“…While Scott (2011) reminds us that volunteering actually reduces during times of recession, the present government view this austere moment as an opportunity to transfer ownership of welfare services from public bodies to voluntary, or third sector, organisations (Alcock 2010), and provide a potentially cheaper alternative to providing these services, whilst unlocking potential opportunities for citizens to enhance their social capital through community activism (Evans 2011;Stott 2011). While opponents to the 'Big Society' contend that it is merely a narrative composed by government to deflect attention away from the problems that will accompany a retreating state (Coote 2011),…”

“…As Scott (2011) States, were a dearth of federal government policy and funding for community sport has obliged them to rely on the free market for economic survival (Bowers, Chalip & Green 2011). Indeed, in many cases, professional sports leagues (such as the NBA, NFL and MLS) have developed charitable arms to their organisations to offer an avenue for local sport and recreation associations to access funding for their programmes (Bowers et al 2011).…”

From Pastoral Care to Public Health: An Ethnographic Case Study of Collaborative Governance in a Local Food Bank

“…In 2011 the national context was that of severe economic pressures in the aftermath of the global banking crisis and a new government in London dedicated to financial probity and control, with a stated manifesto commitment to support what was termed 'The Big Society' [15]. The local context was that of rising unemployment, levels of debt and static public expenditure.…”

Decoupling the state and the third sector? The ‘Big Society’ as a spontaneous order

“…Over time its use in policy documents, ministerial statements and speeches appears to have declined somewhat, leading many to pronounce its demise. Nonetheless it has attracted a growing stream of academic analysis, seeking to understand the origins and meaning of the idea, particularly in relation to existing ideological traditions on the right and left, and its translation into a set of policy proposals and practical initiatives (see, for example, Alcock 2010, Smith 2010, Scott 2011, Taylor 2012, Sage 2012.…”