Increasingly central to public policy debates in the UK, the voluntary sector is one of the fastest growing segments of the economy. The agencies situated between the market and the state are the lifeblood of the organized civil society. This textbook examines whether these expectations are well founded, through detailed examination of the rhetoric and practice of voluntary sector action. Adopting a comparative approach to the subject, The Voluntary Sector examines the sector's relationship to policy, progress and politics. It features insights from a major international study, as well as...