The research programme Centre for Research on Civil Society and Voluntary Sector is a partnership between the Institute for Social Research and the Stein Rokkan Centre for Social Studies/The University of Bergen.

The Centre is autonomous and independent with the following overarching objectives:

• leading and executing a three to five years research programme on civil society and the voluntary sector;
• initiating and coordinating research and conveying research results;
• enhancing knowledge about the voluntary sector’s significance to society, contributing to further development of government policy for the sector and enhancing the sector through research driven knowledge;
• contributing to development of new research propositions and strengthening research and knowledge networks through among other things educating research fellows and young researchers;
• executing the programmes’ outlined research projects and strengthening and further developing research and knowledge about civil society and the voluntary sector;
• providing a place for researchers and users to exchange knowledge, ideas and experiences.

The programme has three key research areas

Participation
Transitional processes
Financing and framework conditions.

Download the full project description here