Critical survey: The Third Sector and the Regional Development of Social Capital

Abstract

There is a growing academic and policy interest in the Third Sector and its potential impact on regional development. A key aspect of the Third Sector is its role in regional development through the promotion of social capital. However, there is considerable debate around the definition of the Third Sector that limits our understanding of its impact. Here we first disentangle a number of ambiguities to clarify the distinctions between the concepts before secondly exploring the relationship between the regional development of social capital and the various aspects of the Third Sector. Finally we consider UK policy agendas and initiatives in light of the earlier discussion.