The changing political environment continues to have a significant impact on the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). In a climate with fewer available resources, it is crucial that VCS organisations can demonstrate the value they create to secure the necessary funding for the continuation of services. Proving our Value was a four-year Big Lottery funded project coordinated by the South West Forum, which aimed to improve the understanding of impact created through VCS interventions. The project incorporated five separate case studies. Each case study involved a research partnership between the academic researchers and staff from a voluntary and community organisation. The University of Bristol Capacity Building Cluster provided a three-year Case PhD research student to work alongside the POV project. The objectives of the research were two-fold: first, to support the SWF in better understanding the impact created by social purpose organisations across the case studies, and second, to understand how appropriate impact methodologies can be developed to evidence the value of VCS interventions. However, it was also intended that the student could use the study to develop an academic thesis and make a theoretical contribution to academic research in this area. Common themes were drawn across the five case studies, through an ongoing process of Action Research, to understand the research approaches that work most appropriately for VCS organisations. The Action Research strategy was designed to gather data for critical reflection to develop theory, reviewing how each research methodology developed organically and iteratively during the lifetime of each case study. The Action Research approach was complemented by drawing on Critical Realist ontology and enquiring more deeply into the underlying generative mechanisms, organisational structures and context to explain why particular methodologies may be appropriate.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:702185 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Hill, Matthew James |
| Publisher | University of Bristol |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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