The Third Sector in Europe—Concept, Measurement and Environmental Changes

Wednesday, 5 July from 11:00 to 12:30 The Third Sector in Europe lacks a clear identity insofar as there is no clear-shared understanding across Europe and in the EU of what exactly the third sector is and what its role is in... [ view full abstract ]

Wednesday, 5 July from 11:00 to 12:30
The Third Sector in Europe lacks a clear identity insofar as there is no clear-shared understanding across Europe and in the EU of what exactly the third sector is and what its role is in the European public space. A main reason for this lack of common identity is that the manifold of self-organized citizen-based initiatives constitutive of the third sector are not sufficiently aware of being part of a common sector. The EU FP7 funded Third Sector Impact Project – mobilized the collaborative efforts of 12 European research institutions in order to advance the measurement of the third sector in Europe. In addition to clarifying the concept of the third sector, gauging the scope and scale of this sector, and assessing the sector’s broader social and political impact, this project sought to determine whether there are barriers that might be impeding the impact that the sector could have and to suggest ways to reduce any barriers that might exist. The panel will present some of the main results of the project.

Speakers:
· Bernard Enjolras: The third sector in Europe: concept and measurement
· Annette Zimmer: Third sector organizations confronting environmental changes: Hurdles and resilience strategies
· Taco Brandsen: Third sector organizations confronting environmental changes: The Netherlands
· Rafael Chaves: Third sector organizations confronting environmental changes: Spain