Historical Guide to NGOs in Britain

The 'Big Society', announced by the Cameron government in 2010, has changed the way we talk about the voluntary sector, charities, NGOs, civil society, or the third sector. The names might be different, but the accompanying debate remains the same. It revolves around a series of questions that have been discussed for decades: what is the relationship between the governmental and the non-governmental sectors? What is the overall contribution of voluntarism to society? How has it changed over time? Have citizens become more apathetic, and are they less likely to 'join' in? What motivates citizens to unite and work together in organisations? This volume will give the reader a greater and more informed historical consciousness of how the NGO sector has grown and influenced.

Table of Contents

Preface List of Abbreviations Definitions The Scale and Growth of NGOs, Charities and Voluntary Organisations Key Sectors Profiles Since 1945 Leading Campaign Groups and NGOs in the UK Key Players Membership and Volunteering NGO Income Streams and Giving The Impact of NGOs Governance and Professionalism International Comparisons Further Reading and Guide to Further Information

Author Biography

MATTHEW HILTON Professor of Social History at the University of Birmingham, UK. He is the author of Smoking in British Popular Culture (Manchester, 2000), Consumerism in Twentieth-Century Britain (Cambridge, 2003), and Prosperity for All: Consumer Activism in an Era of Globalisation (Cornell, 2009). Most recently, he is the joint author, with Nicholas Crowson, Jean-Francois Mouhot & James McKay, of The Politics of Expertise: How NGOs Shaped Modern Britain (Oxford, 2012). NICK CROWSON Reader in Contemporary British History at the University of Birmingham, UK. He is the author of Facing Fascism: The Conservative Party and the European Dictators 1935-40 (London, 1997), The Conservative Party and European Integration since 1945: At the Heart of Europe? (Abingdon, 2006), and Britain and Europe: A Political History since 1918 (Abingdon, 2010). Most recently, he is the joint author, with Matthew Hilton, Jean-Francois Mouhot & James McKay, of The Politics of Expertise: How NGOs Shaped Modern Britain (Oxford, 2012). JAMES MCKAY Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, UK. He is the co-editor of two volumes on NGOs and the voluntary sector: with Matthew Hilton and Nick Crowson, NGOs in Contemporary Britain: Non-state Actors in Society and Politics since 1945 (Palgrave, 2009); and, with Matthew Hilton, The Ages of Voluntarism: How We Got to the Big Society (Oxford, 2011). Along with Matthew Hilton, Nicholas Crowson and Jean-Francois Mouhot, he is the co-author of The Politics of Expertise: How NGOs Shaped Modern Britain (Oxford, 2012). JEAN-FRANCOIS MOUHOT was a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, UK,until May 2011. He is currently a Marie Curie Research Fellow at Georgetown University and the EHESS in Paris. He is the author of Les Refugies acadiens en France (1758-1785): l'impossible reintegration? (Quebec: Septentrion, 2009), Des Esclaves Energetiques: Reflexions sur le changement climatique (Seysel, Champ Vallon, 2011) and co-editor (with Charles-Francois Mathis) of Une Protection de l'Environnement a la Francaise? (XIXe-XXe siecles) (Seysel: Champ Vallon, forthcoming 2012). Most recently, he is the joint author, with Matthew Hilton Nicholas Crowson, & James McKay, of The Politics of Expertise: How NGOs Shaped Modern Britain (Oxford, 2012).