The liquid organization of volunteer tourism: Implications for responsibility

Abstract

Drawing from developments in sociology and organizational studies, this paper argues for a new understanding of volunteer tourism as liquid organization. It aims to explore the organization of volunteer tourism using a liquid organization perspective and to better understand the potential implications of this liquidity on the responsibility of volunteer tourism organizations to host communities. The analysis is based on data collected from 80 volunteer tourism organizations. The findings reveal that the volunteer tourism organizations show characteristics of liquid organization to varying degrees. The significance of the research is to problematize the way in which the institutional characteristics of volunteer tourism are (not) conceptualized in current literature and to introduce liquid organization as a means of reinvigorating debate about responsibility.

Asian solo male travelling mobilities – an autoethnography

“…Furthermore, current knowledge to date is highly skewed towards an etic perspective. In other words, studies are undertaken from the perspectives of researchers looking into the experiences of his or her participants (Monterrubio, 2018; Steele and Dredge, 2017). In contrast, studies from an emic perspective, located within the participant, are rare in the domain of solo tourists.…”

Informalisation of international volunteering: A new analytical framework explaining differential impacts of the ‘orphanage tourism’ debate in the Netherlands

“…As observed by Thompson et al (2020), ‘the line between volunteering for development (offering time and expertise to an NGO working on development outcomes) and voluntourism (a commercial endeavour focused primarily on the demands of the volunteer) … has become increasingly blurred’ (p. 2) to such an extent that some authors prefer to speak of ‘liquid’ organizations. Indeed, most international volunteering providers undertake both mission‐oriented and market‐oriented activities (Steele & Dredge, 2017).…”

“…During the interviews, this was also echoed by both providers of international volunteering and NGOs advocating against it. In addition, the increasing popularity of the ‘social enterprise’ strategy—that is, pursuing social goals with commercial strategies (Defourny & Nyssens, 2017)—might serve as another explanation for the sudden increase in international volunteering providers, precisely because both development‐oriented and tourism‐oriented providers combine commercial and social strategies (Steele & Dredge, 2017).…”

“…While the literature on the drawbacks of international volunteering is well developed, it still tends to either paint all international volunteering with the same brush (e.g., Georgeou & Haas, 2019; Wearing & McGehee, 2013) or only distinguish providers by one straightforward either‐or category: whether organizations provide volunteering for ‘development’ or ‘tourism’ (e.g., Devereux, 2008; McGloin & Georgeou, 2016). Both approaches give limited insight into the diversity of this complex and ‘liquid’ field of organizations (Steele & Dredge, 2017).…”

Communicating Ethical Engagement Abroad: A Content Analysis of Service-Learning Study Abroad Third-Party Provider Websites

“…In the searches for this literature review, only two articles returned that examine the role of third-party providers in administering study abroad programs (Hains-Wesson, 2017;Hains-Wesson & Appleby, 2017 Despite the dearth of research into third-party providers, there has been significant caution and criticism about the dangers of international volunteerism. Critics have identified several areas of concern including the potential for international volunteerism to reinforce stereotypes about global inequalities, broader impacts on host communities that erode the health and well-being of people served in those communities, and the ethical obligations of organizations that participate in international service to examine organizational responsibility in perpetuating negative impacts in both students and host communities (Goodwin, 2015;Steele & Dredge, 2017;Hernandez-Maskivker, Lapoint, & Aquino, 2018;Melles, 2018;Bamber & Pike, 2013). This conversation about ethical global engagement has permeated popular culture as well.…”