Presumably, the rationale for economically supporting voluntary agencies is their stated objectives and the services they are expected to provide such as e.g. cultural or welfare offers – via a helpline, a theatre, a symphony orchestra, a festival – or their training function through transmission of ideals of democracy, or by providing a place for elderly and young people to meet and participate in meaningful activities.

The authorities’ expectations and intentions for voluntary organisations are often followed through with financial support schemes. There are many ways in which the government can provide support, and one of the main objectives of this study is to identify the various types of schemes on offer and to examine their effects on the voluntary sector.

The purpose of this project is thus threefold; the project will study the authorities’ objectives for financially supporting the voluntary sector, and the conditions of such schemes. These conditions could be called support regimes in the form of budgetary posts or legislation and regulation of the voluntary sector. Support regimes contain instruments of governance which are explicit conditions for receiving economic support. This project also aims at identifying what incentives and effects these instruments have on the voluntary organisations’ operations.

Public support schemes and their tools of governance can be found on both municipal and national levels. On a local level, these schemes are in the municipalities’ policies designed at stimulating various kinds of volunteering activities. On the national level this purpose is expressed in the Ministries’ sector policies.

This project will look at instruments of governance on a national level.

• What kinds of national support schemes exist?
• What are the reasons given for providing financial support and how are these schemes designed?
• How do these affect organisational behaviour?

This project will be important for the third main research area: financing and other framework conditions.