Over recent decades there has been growing interest in the ways in which citizens can take responsibility for their own destinies as civil society actors. One of the key sites that has been identified as having the capacity for nurturing, as well as for expressing active citizenship, has been the third sector. This book unpacks the contested notions of active citizenship and the third sector and identifies the claims about the varying ways in which the third sector promotes active citizenship. Drawing upon a range of empirical studies from across the globe, the book then explores the diverse r ... More

Over recent decades there has been growing interest in the ways in which citizens can take responsibility for their own destinies as civil society actors. One of the key sites that has been identified as having the capacity for nurturing, as well as for expressing active citizenship, has been the third sector. This book unpacks the contested notions of active citizenship and the third sector and identifies the claims about the varying ways in which the third sector promotes active citizenship. Drawing upon a range of empirical studies from across the globe, the book then explores the diverse responses to global and local economic and political pressures with a view to answering the questions: How far have  third sector organisations’ contributions to the promotion of active citizenship been affected  - or not - as a result of such factors? And how have third sector organisations in varying contexts been responding to ideological, political and structural challenges? The final section of the book explores opportunities and challenges for the future, identifying a range of ways in which new approaches are being spawned, both locally and beyond, for example, with the development of international networks supported by new digital technologies. The future for the third sector remains uncertain - and contestable, the authors conclude. But despite the challenges involved, they identify the third sector’s continuing  potential to promote active citizenship based upon values of equality, social solidarity, human rights and social justice.