scholarly journals Analysis of Development Factors of Non-Governmental Organizations with Particular Emphasis on Public Funds and the Process of European Integration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Kobos
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Public Funds ◽  
Creative Processes ◽  
Pressure Groups ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Wide Range

In the last quarter of the century, there has been a steady increase in the number and scope of organizations operating under the so-called third sector. These organizations implement a wide range of activities, from social services to recreational activities, from political pressure groups to groups that promote art or history. Foundations and associations are an important arena of social, economic and political activity, alongside the state and the private sector, they feature an increasingly important role in today's world. European public funds provide a plentiful supply of financing for these activities. It has been shown that European funds change the statutory objectives of foundations and associations as public funds determine their operational priorities and directions of development. Active civil society supports the creative processes of social capital, and the most important function of NGOs is precise to strengthen social capital. Participation in NGOs is a determinant of civic maturity for citizens. On the other hand, due to the active participation of citizens in such organizations, societies have changed. This is the reason why the direction of the third sector development and the phenomena of its growth is so crucial for every European State.

Non-governmental organizations: strategic management for a competitive world

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 11-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Schwenger ◽  
Thomas Straub ◽  
Stefano Borzillo
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Civil Liberty ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governmental Organization ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Executive Managers

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically investigate competition within the non-governmental organization (NGO) sector, and presents some strategic approaches to managing it. Porter’s five forces (1980) model was used as a theoretical framework to understand and quantify competition in the NGO sector, as well as to explore the differences between NGOs’ budget sizes. Traditional strategic management often fails to meet NGOs’ needs. While economization is prevalent within the NGO sector, little is known about how NGOs address competition. Design/methodology/approach – An online global survey was conducted between November 2010 and May 2011. Data were collected from 1,211 NGOs that either function as consultants or work in association with the United Nations (UN). The key informants were leaders and executive managers of NGOs. The respondents’ fields of work varied from international advocacy and development (38 per cent), education and research (14 per cent), community and neighborhood (8 per cent), health (8 per cent), environment (8 per cent) and social services (7 per cent) to civil liberty (6 per cent), labor (6 per cent), culture (3 per cent), philanthropy (2 per cent) and religion (1 per cent). Findings – The findings suggest that the NGO sector is becoming increasingly competitive. However, the data suggest that the lower and upper budget classes have different priorities and perceptions. Small NGOs (with budgets <USD250,000 and especially <USD10,000) compete more aggressively for funding, as they have less bargaining power over donors and large foundations, and face stronger competition from social entrepreneurship. This results in income reductions. Large NGOs (with budgets >USD250,000 USD and especially >USD1 million) experience increased pressure for accountability. Research limitations/implications – This research is aimed at a wide range of NGOs. The findings are based on an empirical and open survey that was held among NGOs in association with the UN. Future research should survey NGOs that are not associated with the UN to generalize the results. This may lead to contradictory or more varied results. Practical implications – The findings can help NGOs adapt their strategy to cope more effectively with increasing competition in the sector. Large NGOs seem to prioritize fundraising measures and their positioning (uniqueness) through specialized knowledge. Small NGOs, on the other hand, seem to consider sharing resources, co-operation with other NGOs and co-operation with the private sector slightly more important. To enhance their competitive position, small NGOs are advised to improve their potential by concentrating on developing specific skills that are hard to imitate and to improve their fundraising measures. Finally, large NGOs could benefit from pooling their resources and collaborating with other NGOs and private organizations. Originality/value – NGOs have to pursue their missions under increasing competitive pressure. This paper comprehensively assesses competition, analyzes the various facets thereof and tests these aspects’ relevance to NGOs. It furthermore proposes strategies that are more appropriate for NGOs of different sizes to cope with this competition.

Networks, Communities and Value Chains in Digital Social Innovation for Social Services

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Millard
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Network Effects ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Social Innovations

This chapter provides strong empirical evidence, both quantitative and qualitative, concerning the use, relevance and impact of digital technology on social innovations for social services, and develops some underpinning conceptual frameworks for understanding this impact. It draws on a wide range of literature plus an examination of 30 successful in-depth case studies in which ICT is a major feature. The chapter analyses the role of ICT in social service value chains, in communities and social capital formation, the network effects, as well as the governance, operational and strategic considerations, drivers, barriers, and policy implications.

Social Capital and Sustainable Health Care: An Analysis of Community Based Palliative Care Model of Kerala

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Azeez. E.P
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Voluntary Organizations ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
Palliative Care Units

Social Capital is the most crucial asset which significantly influence the efficacy and resilience of any community. Social capital is a dependent variable that depends upon the competence and coherence of the individuals in the community and mode of social relationships, trust and networks they maintain. It is one of the most sustainable social resources that originate from human relations and results on the mutual support of people. Utilization of Social capital has a wide applicability in the process of social inclusion, especially in dealing with the vulnerable and disadvantaged sections in the community itself. Voluntary organizations are very keen to utilize the social capital for community/social services and community development in a sustainable manner. Community based de-institutionalized Palliative Care is one of the foremost among such organizations that made social capital in a strategic way for social inclusion and community well being. This paper analyses the extent to which different elements of social capital helps in initiating the sustainable community based palliative care movement by assessing the unique intervention strategies carried out by the palliative care. This paper explores conceptual questions of how social capital and voluntary community based services are correlated. A case study method was adopted for the study in which ten palliative care units were analyzed. The results show that a number of social capital elements are playing a vital role in the sustainability of community palliative care movement in Kerala.

scholarly journals An Exploration of Learning Results and Curricula Gaps Within an Online Grandfamilies Certificate Program

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 70-71
Author(s):  
Jennifer Crittenden
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Program Content ◽  
Initial Program ◽  
Individual Program ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Training Opportunities

Abstract Professionals who work with grandparents raising grandchildren have cross-cutting training needs that span content in gerontology, social services, child welfare and program development. To address these needs, a unique, asynchronous, online continuing education program was launched by the UMaine Center on Aging. To-date the program has 177 individual program completers with learners from across the U.S. and Hong Kong that are affiliated with a diverse set of organizations and perform a wide range of professional and lay functions. Participant data indicate that the program has appealed to a wide variety of learners including participants who serve caregivers generally (60.8%) and grandparents raising grandchildren specifically (81%). A small majority (55.6%) of the agency-based learners reported serving, on average, more than 40 grandfamilies annually. Self-reported learning levels were notable ranging from a mean low of 3.46 out of 4 points (N = 157, SD = 0.59) for the volunteer recruitment and mentorship programming module to a mean high of 3.79 (N = 167 ,SD = 0.45) for the caregiver self-care module. Evaluation results from the first seven learner cohorts underscore the efficacy of program content as well as the utility of performing an initial program needs assessment to guide curriculum development. Practice implications for future continuing education efforts targeting grandfamilies professionals and lay leaders include: the need for easily accessible online education in combination with supplemental training opportunities addressing topics such as the long-term impact of substance use disorder and trauma combined with locally relevant content on grandfamilies and legal resources.

The 1972 Elections

1973 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
H. G. Nicholas
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Constitution ◽  
The Public ◽  
Pressure Groups ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Political Forces ◽  
American Elections ◽  
To Come

Elections satisfy both the practical and the theoretical requirements of classical democratic theory if they answer one question only: Who shall rule? Judged by this test the American elections of 7 November 1972 returned as clear and unequivocal an answer as the United States Constitution permits – crystal-clear as to individuals, equivocal as to parties and political forces. But the student of politics and society cannot resist treating elections as data-gathering devices on a wide range of other questions, on the state of the public mind, on the relative potency of pressure groups, on the internal health of the political parties, and, of course, on the shape of things to come. In this ancillary role American elections, despite the generous wealth of statistical material which they throw up – so much more detailed and categorized (though often less precise) than our own – Suffer in most years from one severe limitation, a limitation which in 1972 was particularly conspicuous; they do not engage the interest of more than a moderate percentage of the American citizenry. In 1972 that percentage was as low as 55 per cent, i.e. out of an estimated eligible population of 139,642,000 only 77,000,000 went to the polls. Since this circumscribes the conclusions which can be drawn from the results themselves, as well as constituting a phenomenon of considerable intrinsic interest, it seems worthwhile to begin any examination of the 1972 elections by an analysis not of the votes counted but of those which were never cast.

Democratization, Nationalism and Regional Security in the Southern Caucasus

1997 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Neil MacFarlane
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Regional Security ◽  
Political Rights ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Pressure Groups ◽  
Democratic Reform ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Independent States

FOR SOME YEARS NOW, WESTERN ACADEMICS AND POLICY-MAKERS HAVE embraced the cause of democratic reform in Central and Eastern Europe. To take but one well-known example, President Clinton in the 1994 State of the Union Address cited the absence of war among democracies as a reason for promotion of democracy around the world. Assistance to former Warsaw Pact and newly independent states has been made conditional to varying degrees on the acceptance of democratic change. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, the United States Agency for International Development and associated non-governmental organizations have unleashed armies of promoters of democracy throughout the region to: observe elections; monitor human rights; draft new constitutions and laws defending civil and political rights; train judges and police personnel; and organize and assist political parties, media and non-governmental pressure groups. In short, they have sought to transplant the fabric of civil society and democratic institutions. These armies have landed on terrain often quite foreign to them and have often displayed little sensitivity to the social, economic and political context in which they are operating. This may have contributed to results other than those intended.

The complexity of social work at hospitals during the pandemic in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 5-19
Author(s):  
Anna Bocheńska-Brandt
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Protection Legislation

Social work is also an indispensable pillar in the healthcare of patients in hospitals (Homfeldt, 2012, p. 489). Hospital social services support patients in processing stressful diagnoses and coping with the consequences of diseases (Gödecker-Geenen, 2005, p. 19). Due to the current development of problem situations and the current structure of health and social care, social work is gaining more and more importance (Schaub, 2008, p. 17; Hofmann, 2004, p. 413). Demographic changes result in an increase in the number of elderly people and a steady increase in their life expectancy. The lack of family or financial resources creates gaps in the supply of hospital social services (Meyer, 2019, p. 9). However, the change in the spectrum of health risks and diseases from predominantly acute to chronic ones, justifies the importance of social work in these facilities (Schaub, 2008, p. 17; Lützenkirchen, 2005, pp. 10–14). The Covid-19 pandemic presents a particular challenge that has spread around the world since late 2019. It affects all areas of life and life situations (Schmitt, 2020, p. 177). Protective measures to contain the virus, such as mass gathering prohibitions, contact restrictions, minimum distance regulations, hygiene measures and masks, determine daily and social life. Preventing visits from relatives, pastors and social workers puts a new light on the holistic view of health and the disease and its social determinants (Kröll et al., 2020, pp. 7–38). Infection protection legislation also restricts community services from interacting with patients and hospital staff. Work processes and communication must change, and existing systems must be redesigned (Truell, 2020).

Social capital’s role in the development of volunteer-led cooperatives

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Richards ◽  
John Reed
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Economic Capital ◽  
Content Type ◽  
North West ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
The North ◽  
Third Sector Organisations ◽  
Capital Development

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to evaluate how social capital is developed in a third sector organisation based in the north-west of England, a small food cooperative run by volunteers. Social capital comprises the bonds, bridges and linkages that hold together societal members, and it can be considered to be a precursor of economic capital. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative data were collected through interviews with key informants, observations and documents. Data were analysed using either a template or a thematic analysis to identify aspects of social capital development. Findings – A model of the interactions between and within the three main stakeholder groups involved in the cooperative is presented. This model shows how these interactions can develop social capital, and it discusses how potential deficits in social capital can occur. Research limitations/implications – The findings have practical and theoretical implications, in that they may better equip third-sector organisations to understand how social capital is developed. Originality/value – This is one of few practical studies of social capital development in a social enterprise and provides valuable insights into the processes by which this is done.

scholarly journals Putting them on a strong spiritual path: Indigenous doulas responding to the needs of Indigenous mothers and communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Cidro ◽  
Caroline Doenmez ◽  
Stephanie Sinclair ◽  
Alexandra Nychuk ◽  
Larissa Wodtke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Trauma Informed Care ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Post Partum Period ◽  
The Right

Abstract Objective In the past few years, increasing numbers of Indigenous doula collectives have been forming across Canada. Indigenous doulas provide continuous, culturally appropriate support to Indigenous women during pregnancy, birth, and the post-partum period. This support is critical to counter systemic medical racism and socioeconomic barriers that Indigenous families disproportionately face. This paper analyzes interviews with members of five Indigenous doula collectives to demonstrate their shared challenges, strategies, and missions. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with members of five Indigenous doula collectives across Canada in 2020. Interviews were transcribed and returned to participants for their approval. Approved transcripts were then coded by all members of the research team to ascertain the dominant themes emerging across the interviews. Results Two prominent themes emerged in the interviews. The first theme is “Indigenous doulas responding to community needs.” Participants indicated that responding to community needs involves harm reduction and trauma-informed care, supporting cultural aspects of birthing and family, and helping clients navigate socioeconomic barriers. The second theme is “Indigenous doulas building connections with mothers.” Participants’ comments on providing care to mothers emphasize the importance of advocacy in healthcare systems, boosting their clients’ confidence and skills, and being the “right” doula for their clients. These two inter-related themes stem from Indigenous doulas’ efforts to counter dynamics in healthcare and social services that can be harmful to Indigenous families, while also integrating cultural teachings and practices. Conclusion This paper illustrates that Indigenous doula care responds to a wide range of issues that affect Indigenous women’s experiences of pregnancy, birth, and the post-partum period. Through building strong, trusting, and non-judgemental connections with mothers and responding to community needs, Indigenous doulas play a critical role in countering medical racism in hospital settings and advancing the resurgence of Indigenous birthing sovereignty.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document