Third Sector Impact

Third Sector Impact (TSI) is a comparative research project that aims to measure and outline the scope, scale, and impact of associations and foundations, volunteers and citizens engaging in civil society across Europe, generally referred to as the “third sector”. It includes a distinctive stakeholder engagement process to capture the insights of third sector practitioners to work towards a common goal: to create knowledge that will help researchers, policy-makers and citizens alike to further advance the sector’s contributions to the socio-economic development of Europe. Understanding the potential of the third sector for problem-solving will help to promote it as fully-fledged partner of European governments in their efforts to enhance economic development and social cohesion in Europe. Third Sector Impact (TSI) includes four working areas: 1) finding a common conceptualization of the third sector in its European manifestations; 2) identification of its size and major components; 3) measurement of social and economic third sector impact; 4) understanding the barriers facing the sector, and the potential avenues for overcoming these barriers. The comparative research for the project has been carried out by 30 researchers from 10 European partner universities. Equally important are the inputs and feedbacks from more than 100 national and European stakeholders throughout the project, who influenced definitions and the research agenda.
In a context where the third sector and volunteering represent a unique ‘renewable resource’ for social and economic problem-solving and civic engagement in Europe in a time of social and economic distress and enormous pressures on governmental budgets, there is a need to fill the knowledge gaps – leading to a lack of identity and awareness, information, data availability, and foundation for knowledge-based policies related to the third sector in Europe. TSI’s research findings contribute to a deeper and clearer understanding of the third sector’s scope and scale, its existing and potential impacts and as well the barriers that are impeding its full contributions to the European continent’s common welfare.

https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/613034/reporting