Prof. Dr. Taco Brandsen, Prof. Dr. Paul Dekker and Prof. Dr. Adalbert Evers (eds.)
2010, 290 pp., pb., ISBN 978-3-8329-5420-8
(European Civil Society, vol. 6)

The market, the state and the third sector have all been heralded as central agents in civilizing modern societies. It has been claimed that participation in voluntary associations enables people to learn civic skills and, in effect, to become more „civilized“. Likewise, there are claims about the civilizing effects of doux commerce, the ability of trade and commerce to mitigate conflicts and convert them into peaceful competition. And according to many political and legal theories, democratic states and their institutions are the final bulwark of civil virtues. However, the voluntary sector can be a source of particularism; the market of exploitation; the state of oppression.

This book, which brings together authors from across Europe, argues that such sector perspectives should be left aside and examines how the civicness and civility of organizations and individuals can be identified and encouraged in any institutional setting. Crossing traditional spheres and disciplines, we explore the concept of "civicness" to search for the source of our modern civil society.

The publication is a result of the European Network of Excellence CINEFOGO (Civil society and New Forms of Governance). You can download the book brochure here or order on-line at www.nomos-shop.de

J.-L. Laville and M. Larosa, eds. (2009)
Sapere2000, Rome (Italy)

ISBN: 978.887.673.3031
221 pages

Victor PESTOFF and Taco BRANDSEN, eds. (2007)
Routledge, London and New York

Public management research has in recent years paid increasing attention to the third sector, especially to its role in the provision of public services. Evidence of this is the rising number of publications on the topic, as well as a growing number of sessions and papers on the topic in academic conferences of the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA) and the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM). However, much of the discussion on its role is motivated at least as much by ideology as by fact. We still lack a proper empirical understanding of what happens when the third sector is drawn into public service provision. 

The book Co-Production: The Third Sector and the Delivery of Public Services, aims to enhance this understanding by presenting several new studies on the subject. The authors also introduce the concepts of co-production, co-management and co-governance as a conceptual framework that enables us to better understand such developments.

Available in hardback on the Routledge website: www.routledge.com

Marthe NYSSENS, ed. (2006)

Routledge, Londres and New York

In one of its previous books, the EMES European Research Network traced the most significant developments in 'social entrepreneurship' emerging inside the third sector in Europe. Building upon that seminal work, the present book presents the results of an extensive research project carried out over a four-year period. More precisely, this book develops a theory of social enterprise through a comparative analysis of 160 social enterprises across 11 EU countries. It breaks new ground both in its articulation of multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks and through its rigorous analysis of empirical evidence based on a homogenised data collection methodology.

The empirical field chosen to carry out the analysis is that of work integration, which is emblematic of the dynamics of social enterprises and a major sphere of their activity. The main goal of 'work integration social enterprises' (WISEs) is to help disadvantaged unemployed people, who are at risk of permanent exclusion from the labour market, and to integrate them back into work and society in general through productive activity.

The book is structured around a number of key themes (multiple goals and multiple stakeholders, multiple resources, trajectories of workers, public policies) developed through a transversal European analysis, and illustrated with short country experiences that reflect the diversity of welfare models across Europe.

The introduction and first chapter of this book can be downloaded here thanks to the permission of Routledge.

To order please visit: www.routledge.com

LAVILLE, J.-L. and CATTANI, A.D. eds. (2006)

Revised and updated edition.
Editions Gallimard, Paris, 720p.

The success of liberalism has left an important part of real economy in the dark for a long time, its supporters even presenting it as the only possible model. This pretension is now disputed, particularly by the movement asking for "another type of globalisation" or "globalisation in solidarity". This movement, far from producing mere criticism, has the potential to come up with concrete propositions to promote more solidarity and democracy. It is to encourage this reflection on alternative economy that this dictionary offers the first reliable and accessible synthesis of available knowledge in this field. As interdisciplinary as it is international, it offers a deepened definition of 50 key terms: fair trade, sustainable development, international organisations, public service... These concepts belong to history as well as to the most recent events.

Also published in Portuguese (Almedina, Coimbra, 2009) and Italian (Sapere 2000 Ediz. Multimediali, Roma, 2006).

BORZAGA, C. and SPEAR, R., eds. (2004)

Edizioni31, Trento, 280p.

Recent years have witnessed a new interest in co-operative organizations, especially as a consequence of their transformation and expansion in new fields of activity. These two phenomena are connected, since transformation appears to be the prerequisite for expanding activities in new areas and as such, are worthy of specific analysis. This work explores co-operative evolutionary dynamics in advanced and transition economies with a view to provide researchers and practitioners interested in studying and promoting the development of social economy organizations, with working materials and new research paths. More specifically, co-operatives’ recent developments towards what are currently defined as social enterprises within the co-operative framework are examined. This volume includes the most innovative reports presented and discussed by the contributors at the International Seminar - From Co-operatives to Social Enterprise, jointly organized by ISSAN (Institute for the Development Non-profit Organisations) and the EMES Network which took place in December 2003 in Trento (Italy).

To order please visit: www.edizioni31.it
 

EVERS, A. and LAVILLE, J.-L., eds. (2004)

Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 288p.

Published on May 2004 under the direction of A. Evers and J.-L. Laville, this book explores Europe’s third sector – the non-profit organisations and providers of social services such as mutuals, co-operatives, associations, voluntary organisations and charities. These elements of a civil society, important yet often overlooked features in contemporary socio-economics and social policy, are at the core of this book, which follows the heels of research work conducted by several EMES members on "The Third System and Employment in Europe".

To order please visit: www.e-elgar.co.uk