8 Conclusions
8.1 Introduction
8.1.1 This section concludes the review, outlining the relation of the literature to the Strategic Objectives, what is not covered by the Strategic Objectives and what is, and highlighting gaps and areas for future work.
8.2 The contribution of the third sector to the Strategic Objectives
8.2.1 From the material we have identified, there can be no doubting the importance of the third sector to social life in Scotland. The size, scope and diversity of the sector discussed in the material included in Chapter 2 only begin to attest to the sector's contribution in Scotland. There is also clear evidence underpinning the third sector's contribution to each of the Scottish Government's Strategic Objective. While the themes we have highlighted are by no means exhaustive, they can be taken as an indication of the breadth of the third sector's contribution.
8.2.2 In Chapter 3 we highlighted the role of the sector as an employer of paid staff and volunteers, showing a large and diverse workforce. We also noted the important role played by the third sector in organising credit unions, and in alleviating rural poverty. We noted that this Strategic Objective was subject to the most attention in the material we identified.
8.2.3 In Chapter 4, we noted that the third sector is also a provider of education and learning, particularly in post-compulsory education, when, for example providing adult numeracy classes. The material also highlights the role played by the third sector through the provision of early years childcare, lifelong learning, and in promoting access to learning and employment.
8.2.4 A significant amount of the material we encountered noted the large proportion of third sector organisations carrying out activity related to health and social care. We noted literature outlining the sector's role in healthcare provision, health promotion, child and parental wellbeing, and substance misuse, amongst other areas of work.
8.2.5 Chapter 6 dealt with the contribution of the third sector to ensuring safer and stronger communities. A wide range of studies underlined the third sector's importance to areas such as advocacy work, housing and homelessness, and equalities work.
8.2.6 Finally, in Chapter 7, we noted the contribution of the third sector to environmental work, identifying a number of studies that found an impact in areas as wide ranging as environmental volunteering, recycling, and land management.
8.3 Cutting across the Strategic Objectives
8.3.1 The majority of the research that we have included in this review cuts across the five Strategic Objectives. For example, work on health promotion is relevant to both 'Healthier' and 'Smarter'. As has been noted earlier, some areas (most obviously those related to 'Wealthier and Fairer') have been subject to far more attention in the literature than others.
8.3.2 This is a necessary function of much of the research that we have encountered, with the work largely being focused on a specific initiative or theme without reference to the objectives themselves. It seems clear that the cross-cutting nature of the third sector's work is a strength that is emerging from the literature, and one that can support the Government's aim for more joined up working across portfolio areas.
8.3.3 One striking feature of the literature was the role played by the public sector in commissioning, or directly carrying out, research either directly on the third sector, or on related fields. The majority of the material we collected had its origins with the public sector, indicating a commitment on the part of the government to understanding the impact of the third sector. A comprehensive database of all commissioned work would be beneficial.
8.4 Third sector contribution beyond the Strategic Objectives
8.4.1 Due to the wide scope of the Strategic Objectives, there was little research that dealt with the contribution of the third sector to services, or to the social economy, that did not fit with at least one strategic objective.
8.4.2 We did, however, identify a limited number of themes of research that did not fit discretely with any one objective. Typically these related to the overarching trends in government policy towards the third sector, or to issues such as definition. Examples of this might include policy reviews from the academic world, or overarching surveys of the size and scope of the third sector in Scotland. Most of these have been included in our analysis in Chapter 2.
8.5 Gaps in the existing material and areas for development
8.5.1 Our review has identified some gaps in the existing research, including a number which do not fit neatly within the Government's five Strategic Objectives. It is clear that relatively little scholarly literature exists that focuses specifically on the third sector in Scotland, in spite of the broad references made in the context of the situation in the UK. Similarly, there is little literature that attempts to establish a conceptual basis underpinning the third sector's role in Scotland.
8.5.2 From our work, there is a clear mandate to further develop current research on the third sector in Scotland. Currently, although large amounts of material exist, with some exceptions there is no coherent body of research, which identifies clear areas of relevance for the sector as a whole. Instead, many studies focus on specific geographical locations, areas of work, or individual organisations. Given the clear contribution made by the third sector to social and economic life in Scotland, the need to develop the body of nationally-focused studies of its impact is clear.
8.5.3 Although much of the literature that we encountered placed the work of the third sector in Scotland in an international context, we could identify little material that examined the impact of Scottish voluntary activity on other countries though, for example, international development.
8.5.4 Specific gaps in the literature under each theme are summarised in the table below:
Literature theme | Gaps |
|---|
Overarching gaps | - Lack of scholarly literature
- Most studies do not consider conceptual issues
- UK (or English) focus in much of the relevant research evidence
- Variable research quality
- Low number of large-scale datasets
- Little literature on international impact
- Little cross referencing between studies
|
Wealthier and fairer | - Variations in definition and scope lead to distinctions in research findings
- Little work examining the recession
- Rural Scotland often marginalised
- Few qualitative studies of employees' experiences of working in the third sector
|
Smarter | - Body of research not extensive
- UK focus to much of the existing material
- Little scholarly literature
- The literature on adult numeracy is underdeveloped
- There is a need for more methodologically sound research in this field
|
Healthier | - Little work on multi-agency partnerships, particularly Community Health Partnerships
- Health promotion an under-developed area of research
- Greater discrete focus on the third sector needed
|
Safer and stronger | - Variable research quality
- Lack of scholarly literature
- Research tends to focus on specific themes, such as the arts, rather than collecting data on a range
of relevant areas
|
Greener | - Overall this objective would benefit from greater research attention
- Lack of global context to much research
- Few broad, national studies
- Few statistics on environmental volunteering
|
8.6 Recommendations
8.6.1 While it is clear that abundant evidence exists to highlight the impact of the third sector in Scotland, there is a need to develop this work in order to present a comprehensive picture of the significant role played by third sector organisations. The specific gaps outlined above provide suggestions for addressing existing research needs. Beyond this, we recommend that further nationally-focused, cross cutting studies of the third sector's impact are encouraged.
8.6.2 Useful work is emerging that identifies, and collates, relevant pieces of research and resources dealing with the third sector's impact - for example, the evidence library developed by the SCVO. However, given the role of the Scottish Government in commissioning research in this area, we recommend developing a comprehensive database of all relevant commissioned work. Additionally, in order to develop the statistical evidence for the third sector's impact in Scotland, more use could be made of the relevant statistics collected by the public sector.
8.6.3 We would also suggest that the Scottish Government considers working with relevant networks of scholars in order to ensure a coherent research agenda is developed. In particular, the lack of conceptual literature dealing specifically with the third sector in Scotland needs to be addressed.
8.6.4 Finally, we would suggest that the evidence included in our review should prompt research interest in the third sector in Scotland. Particularly within the scholarly literature, there is a tendency to marginalise Scotland in favour of the UK as a whole. The unique character and impact of the third sector in Scotland that we have traced in the available research suggests that this approach is not appropriate. Instead, a greater focus on Scotland - and especially on the role of the third sector post-devolution - would significantly enhance the scope and quality of this work.