A number of new articles by TSRC researchers have just been published in the journals Environment and Planning and Voluntary Sector Review. The articles explore different elements of voluntary sector distribution, and look at geographical variations in third sector and community resources. Articles include:

Geographical foundations of the “big society”
By John Mohan

This paper highlights three areas where the Big Society starts from uneven foundations: the distribution of voluntary organisations; the number, characteristics and distribution of volunteers and the exposure of voluntary organisations to public funding cuts.
The journal article is available here.

A related TSRC paper is available here.

Patterns of social capital, voluntary activity, and area deprivation in England
A McCulloch, J Mohan and P Smith

This study uses data from the 2005 and 2007 Citizenship Survey to map broad differences in levels of volunteering and social capital between ninety different types of place in England, characterised by their regional location and level of deprivation. A measure of social capital in each type of place is constructed using a multivariate multilevel statistical model and the association with rates of volunteering is then examined. The results show a positive association at the area level between the level of formal volunteering and informal volunteering and the level of social capital. The rate of both formal and informal volunteering was, however, unrelated to the level of social capital after controlling for area deprivation. These results raise concerns about the ability of volunteering to change the social characteristics of deprived areas independently of their material circumstances. Communities have strengths primarily in areas concerned with maintaining social order rather than creating economic growth. Policies to tackle area deprivation need to concentrate on linking deprived areas up to economic opportunities in more affluent surrounding areas rather than on local strategies based on self-help.
Full journal article available here

Voluntary sector organisations working at the neighbourhood level in England: patterns by local area deprivation
David Clifford

Geographical variations in voluntary sector activity are important where they lead to inequity in service provision and differences in the opportunity to participate in voluntary group activities. However, despite important theoretical work, very little work has demonstrated variation empirically, particularly variation at the local (neighbourhood) level. This paper, for the first time, examines nationally representative data to illustrate the very real geographical differences across England in the prevalence of voluntary organisations working at a neighbourhood scale. Overall, less deprived local areas have a much higher prevalence than more deprived local areas. While certain kinds of organisations are more prevalent in more deprived areas, including those working in the field of economic well-being, this reflects the presence of organisations which receive public funds. These patterns are consistent with a key element of ‘voluntary sector failure’, resource insufficiency, and the important role of government in ensuring resources are available in areas of particular need.
Journal article here

A related TSRC paper is available here.

Entering the lists: what can we learn from the voluntary sector in England from listings produced by local infrastructure bodies
John Mohan

Abstract In England, several organisations, generically known as 'infrastructure' bodies, provide advice and technical support to the voluntary and community sector. They typically maintain listings of their members and of other contacts both within the voluntary sector and beyond. This article presents an analysis of what can be learned from such listings. In particular, there is a discussion of the characteristics of the organisations (including unregulated third sector organisations) that appear on these listings, of variations between infrastructure bodies in the kind of information they capture and of differences between the kinds of regulated third sector organisations that appear on the listings and the ones that do not. The article discusses the implications of these findings for research that uses the listings as source material to investigate the activities of the infrastructure bodies or the characteristics of the local voluntary and community sector they serve.
Journal article here