Discourses of Voluntary Action at two 'Transformational Moments' of the Welfare State, the 1940s and 2010s

The publication of the Beveridge Report in 1942, and the subsequent establishment of comprehensive welfare services in the UK, was referred to as 'a revolutionary moment'. The same term has been used to describe the current context in which welfare services are being dismantled in England. At these two transformational moments, fundamental questions have been raised about the respective roles and responsibilities of the state and the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in welfare services provision. During the 1st revolutionary moment (1940s) the Beveridge report proposed a series of measures to address the 'evils' of the time. The subsequent restructuring of welfare provision led to significant changes in the structure and focus of many VCS organisations, and a period of intense debate about the nature and extent of the voluntary action. In our current 'revolutionary moment' as a result of major national and international events the role of the VCS as a welfare service provider has intensified despite severe cuts to funding. A fundamental renegotiation of the role of the state is underway; we are entering a period of intense debate about the nature and extent of voluntary action and its relationship to the state and welfare provision.

The overarching aim is to explore the debates that have taken place on the role of voluntary action in the provision of welfare in the 1940s and 2010s in England. It will compare and contrast popular, political and VCS discourses. In order to meet this aim, we address 3 sets of questions: 1.What are the similarities and differences in narratives about the role, position and contribution of the VCS in the provision of social welfare in the 1940s compared with the 2010s? And, drawing on social origins theory, what combination of factors, including but not restricted to the balance of class forces, can help account for shifting narratives between the 1940s and 2010s? 2.What are the similarities and differences within and between the narratives of voluntary sector representatives, government officials, and the general public about the role, position and contribution of the voluntary and community sector in social welfare provision, firstly during the 1940s and secondly through the 2010s? And, drawing on the theory of strategic action fields, to what extent and how do different narratives reflect field shaping discursive interventions and a changing configuration of actors? 3.What evidence is there of how different narratives have been constructed, articulated, contested, and circulated? And, drawing on discursive institutionalism, how are different narratives related to each other in the struggle for 'room' and 'common sense' during periods of unsettlement and transition, as actors seek to frame action and construct the possibilities for change?

Our approach to addressing these questions is to explore: 1.Public narratives: analysis of Mass Observation directives on voluntary action and social welfare from 1940s 2010s, plus one commissioned in 2017. 2.State narratives: analysis of key government policy documents (e.g. green and white papers, acts of parliament), speeches and parliamentary debates relating to the role of the voluntary sector in welfare service provision in England generated during the 1940s and 2010s (accessed from The National Archives, Historic Hansard, Hansard and various websites). 3. Voluntary sector narratives: focusing on 4 VCS organisations (NCVO, Children England, NCVYS, Age UK) review key statements, policy documents, and publications produced by them in the 1940s and 2010s, stored in their archives and websites.

This 2 year study co-produced with NCVO, NCVYS, Children England, Age UK and Mass Observation; guided by a project Steering Group; and involving various knowledge exchange activities will contribute to the development of VCS policy and practice, through building capabilities, enhancing the existing evidence base and reframing debat

Alongside the academic beneficiaries, the project will impact upon three stakeholder groups: voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations; policy makers; and the general public. The knowledge generated has the potential to deliver instrumental and conceptual impact through influencing the development of VCS policy and practice and contributing to a new understanding of the evolving relationship between the VCS and the state. In doing so, it will contribute to ESRC's strategic priority of a 'vibrant and fair society'.

The study has and will continue to be co-designed and co-delivered with key partners from the VCS, specifically: the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO); Children England; National Council for Voluntary Youth Organisations (NCVYS); and Age UK (see case for support for additional information). Ongoing co-production will be achieved through several mechanisms, including a project Steering Group which will bring together our four partner VCS organisations with Mass Observation, an archivist, and three external academic experts (see Pathways to Impact for details). The Group will meet regularly to help oversee the general course of the project and to offer advice and guidance on all aspects.

The project will have conceptual and instrumental impacts on VCS organisations. VCS organisations are looking back at their past, seeking to draw parallels with and lessons from earlier periods of intense challenge and change. This project will seek to build capacity (resources, knowledge, skills) within VCS organisations to help them navigate their way through these difficult times. It will also seek to reframe the debate regarding the changing relationship between the sector and the state. We will work most intensely with our four VCS project partners to build organisational capabilities for influencing policy and practice via three interactive workshops. Their capacity to maximise the use of their archives will be enhanced as we advise on archiving practices. Wider (medium term) instrumental and conceptual impact across the voluntary sector will be achieved through: working with our project partners to engage with their extensive membership base (totalling approximately 12,000 VCS organisations and networks); delivering workshops on sustainable archiving practices; an end-of-project conference within multiple workshop streams, co-hosted with project partners; open access to a series of working and briefing papers produced throughout the life of the project; and extensive media and social media activities (e.g. webpages, Twitter, blogs, newsletters, press releases).

The project also aspires to create conceptual impact on VCS policy through influencing policy makers both within government and within the sector. We will encourage considered reflection about the role of the VCS and its relation to the state, through a number of activities including: working with Caroline Kenny of the Social Sciences section of POST to build Parliamentary awareness of the project; working with the History and Policy network to host a Westminster briefing event; working with Gateshead Council to host a workshop for seven North East local authorities; and co-convening a seminar with WISERD, Wales for policy makers and civil society organisations from across the UK jurisdictions.

A longer term aspiration is to have a conceptual impact on the general public through broadening understandings about the changing relationship between the VCS and the state, via: a specially curated exhibition which will draw on the archives of our 4 project partners; a workshop for older people in the North East (Gateshead); and a high-profile public lecture at the British Library.

We will assess our impact both qualitatively (through collecting feedback from project partners and through feedback forms at project events) and quantitatively (through monitoring distribution of project outputs through tools such as google analytics).