The emergence of structured subnational voluntary sector–government relationships in Canada: a historical institutional analysis

Abstract

Building on prior research at the federal level, this paper examines the emergent institutional relationships between government and the voluntary sector in seven Canadian provinces. Prior to the release of a national survey in 2005, little collective attention was paid to the size and impact of the voluntary sector at the provincial level by either the sector or governments. This subnational historical institutional analysis reveals that there is a new and growing appetite for policy dialogue, representing a notable shift in attention to voluntary sector–government relations at the provincial level. Trends and informative exceptions in this emerging relationship are profiled.

Australian Sub-National Compacts with the Not-For-Profit Sector: Pathways to cross-sector cooperation

“…First, in the problem stream, we have witnessed in Australia and elsewhere a broad consensus among policy practitioners and researchers about the range 2 Kingdon and other like-minded theorists (such as March and Olsen 2006) draw upon neo-institutionalist theory in their analysis of political and policy phenomena, bringing together strands of normative (institutional logics), rational choice (bounded rationality), and historical (path dependency) perspectives in a compelling synthesis. Kendall 2003, Brock 2008, Elson 2011, and Phillips 2003 each draw upon Kingdon in their analyses of compacts in the UK and Canada. Compacts might also be usefully examined through other lenses, including policy implementation (Elson 2006) or from a functional legal/administrative perspective (Bullain and Toftisova 2005). of tensions, contradictions and externalities associated with the contract state.…”

New Accountabilities, New Challenges

“…First, in the problem stream, we have witnessed in Australia and elsewhere a broad consensus among policy practitioners and researchers about the range 2 Kingdon and other like-minded theorists (such as March and Olsen 2006) draw upon neo-institutionalist theory in their analysis of political and policy phenomena, bringing together strands of normative (institutional logics), rational choice (bounded rationality), and historical (path dependency) perspectives in a compelling synthesis. Kendall 2003, Brock 2008, Elson 2011, and Phillips 2003 each draw upon Kingdon in their analyses of compacts in the UK and Canada. Compacts might also be usefully examined through other lenses, including policy implementation (Elson 2006) or from a functional legal/administrative perspective (Bullain and Toftisova 2005).…”

Third wave, third sector: A comparative provincial analysis of the governance of third sector relations

“…By 2011, seven of ten provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador) had an affiliated minister or deputy minister responsible for the relationship of the provincial government with their third sector. Two other provinces (Saskatchewan and New Brunswick) had significant bilateral policy forums that engaged the community human service segment of the third sector (Carter and Speevak Sladowski ; Elson ; Campbell and Speevak Sladowski ).…”

“…government with their third sector. Two other provinces (Saskatchewan 4 and New Brunswick) had significant bilateral policy forums that engaged the community human service segment of the third sector (Carter and Speevak Sladowski 2008;Elson 2011a;Campbell and Speevak Sladowski 2009).…”

“…This article focuses on a “third wave” of sectoral processes and institutional forms that have been developing at the provincial level during and since the Voluntary Sector Initiative (Elson ). In recent years, provincial governments and third sector intermediaries have signed policy documents outlining principles of third sector engagement that commit the government – at least on paper – to fostering a productive, interdependent relationship with the third sector (Carter and Speevak Sladowski ; Elson ). The third sector, by definition, is a cross‐cutting policy file: key issues and interactions span many, if not all, government departments in one way or another.…”