Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This qualitative data collection explored the extent to which different social, historical and cultural contexts within and across neo-liberal states impact on the development of voluntary activism in the sub-sectors of mental health and community safety. Focusing on place-based strategic partnerships in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand, the study used in-depth interviews to explore: i) the relationship between activism, management and governance in the voluntary sector; ii) how the shift from urban government to urban governance is impacting on voluntary organisations and the development of voluntary activism; iii) the permeability of the boundaries between public, private and voluntary sectors; and iv) how the national political environment in neo-liberal states is shaping developments at local level. Theoretically, the study sought to deepen understanding of how the interrelationships between participation, place and political context contribute to different forms of activism. Further information about the project may be found on the Institute for Health Research and the ESRC Society Today web pages.

Main Topics:

Main topics covered in the study include: activist biographies, career pathways and knowledge transfer; new forms of partnerships between the state and the third sector, implications for activism and the sites in which activism is played out; new political sites of governance; how activism is played out across the fields of mental health and community safety; what activism means to respondents from the voluntary sector as well as from respondents within local and national government.

Purposive selection/case studies

Face-to-face interview