Civil society engagement and the role of volunteers
Civil society engagement and the role of volunteers
Recent decades have seen growing scholarly and policy interest in civil society organisations as entities which are separate from the state and the market and characterised by their voluntary nature and common concern with welfare provision. On one hand, the size and engagement of civil society organisations is regarded as a sign of a country’s ‘democratic health’. On the other, it is recognised that non-governmental organisations can play a key role in the provision of welfare services in a way that complements and extends the provision by the state. In this paper I provide a brief review of the concept of civil society and the various ways that scholars have understood it. I identify key elements that characterise civil society engagement – notably its reliance on volunteers; its grass-roots approach; concern with welfare, education and advocacy; its responsiveness and flexibility. I then examine the extent to which the use of kader in the Indonesian context can be understood as an example of civil society engagement, and what this means for their future potential in the support of older people and their informal carers.
Volunteer, civil society, older people, care, Indonesia
Schröder-Butterfill, Elisabeth
b10e106a-4d5d-4f41-a7d2-9549ba425711
21 June 2022
Schröder-Butterfill, Elisabeth
b10e106a-4d5d-4f41-a7d2-9549ba425711
Schröder-Butterfill, Elisabeth
(2022)
Civil society engagement and the role of volunteers.
The Role of Community-Based Volunteers (Kader) for Older People’s Care in Indonesia, Atma Jaya Catholic University, Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia.
21 - 23 Jun 2022.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
Recent decades have seen growing scholarly and policy interest in civil society organisations as entities which are separate from the state and the market and characterised by their voluntary nature and common concern with welfare provision. On one hand, the size and engagement of civil society organisations is regarded as a sign of a country’s ‘democratic health’. On the other, it is recognised that non-governmental organisations can play a key role in the provision of welfare services in a way that complements and extends the provision by the state. In this paper I provide a brief review of the concept of civil society and the various ways that scholars have understood it. I identify key elements that characterise civil society engagement – notably its reliance on volunteers; its grass-roots approach; concern with welfare, education and advocacy; its responsiveness and flexibility. I then examine the extent to which the use of kader in the Indonesian context can be understood as an example of civil society engagement, and what this means for their future potential in the support of older people and their informal carers.
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Civil Society Engagement and the Role of Volunteers
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Published date: 21 June 2022
Venue - Dates:
The Role of Community-Based Volunteers (Kader) for Older People’s Care in Indonesia, Atma Jaya Catholic University, Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia, 2022-06-21 - 2022-06-23
Keywords:
Volunteer, civil society, older people, care, Indonesia
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Local EPrints ID: 479567
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/479567
PURE UUID: fc8889c5-617b-4a0b-a1b4-d771974e617d
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Date deposited: 26 Jul 2023 16:37
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 03:05
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