The Third Sector and Securing 'Labour Market Longevity'

本文将考察第三部门的作用，以及它在历史上的非政府组织和非营利组织（ngo），以确保新自由主义劳动力市场安排的长期存在。这个中心研究问题包含三个广泛的目标。首先，解释当今英国新自由主义劳动力市场政策的持久性，其特点是雇主主导的灵活性，降低劳动力成本的动力和对工作不安全感的接受（Rubery,Keizer, & Grimshaw, 2016）。其次，从市场本身之外探索第三部门作为准国家的、市场外的支持结构，其中包含了新自由主义劳动力市场的矛盾。最后，通过为波兰学派的市场和社会从不分离，而是不断相互建构的主张提供经验证明，为国际政治经济学的概念发展做出贡献。第三部门在现代经济中的作用仍然是一个有争议的话题，很少从劳动力市场理论的角度进行分析。大量文献从为缩减福利服务提供道德和财政便利的角度研究了英国政府与第三部门之间的关系（Alcock & Kendall, 2011;Buckingham, 2009; Kidd, 2002; Milbourne & Cushman, 2015;Soteri-Proctor & Phillimore, 2013; Williams, Cloke, & Thomas,2012）。最近，Salamon和Sokolowski（2018）探讨了市场或国家失败导致第三部门重要性增加的观点。然而，他们对该行业过于宽泛的定义混淆了他们的研究结果。在破坏性的新自由主义政策中，已经取得了一些进展，以概念化部门对社区复兴的重要性（Fyfe, 2005）。然而，这与经济中的其他变化之间的实证联系仍然很少。总之，研究得出的结论是，通过产生以社区为主导的长期社会问题解决方案，第三部门减轻了英国政府的一部分福利责任，但如何将其与更广泛的财政和经济变化相适应仍未得到充分探讨。我对第三部门的评估方式提出了一个概念性的改变。第三部门是否对新自由主义的、自我调节的劳动力市场的运作做出了贡献还有待探讨，其中劳动力价格是由供需交叉决定的（见Rubery， Keizer, &Grimshaw, 2016）。也就是说，第三部门如何适应需要减少国家福利以提高劳动力市场参与度、增加有偿就业竞争、对工资施加下行压力同时约束在职人员的制度安排（Blyth,2002; Greer, 2016; Shapiro & Stiglitz, 1984）？简而言之，当前的新自由主义劳动力市场需要失业（稀缺）和最低福利国家（困难）才能发挥作用，我假设第三部门在稳定这种性质的英国劳动力市场方面发挥着至关重要的作用。事实上，我认为慈善组织扮演这一角色已经有很长一段时间了。

This thesis will examine the role of the third sector, and itshistorical non-governmental and non-profit-makingequivalents (NGOs), in securing the longevity of neoliberallabour market arrangements. This central research questioncontains three broad aims. Firstly, to explain the persistenceof neoliberal labour market policies in the UK today,characterised by employer-led flexibility, the drive for lowerlabour costs and acceptance of job insecurity (Rubery,Keizer, & Grimshaw, 2016). Secondly, to explore the thirdsector as quasi-state, extra-market support structure whichcontains the contradictions of neoliberal labour markets fromoutside the markets themselves. And finally, to contribute tothe conceptual development of international politicaleconomy by supplying empirical substantiation for thePolanyian claim that markets and society are neverseparate, but are continually reciprocally constructed.The role of the third sector in the modern economy remainsa topic of dispute and is rarely analysed in terms of labourmarket theory. Copious literature has investigated therelationship between the UK state and the third sector fromthe perspective of providing moral and fiscal facilitation forshrinking welfare services (Alcock & Kendall, 2011;Buckingham, 2009; Kidd, 2002; Milbourne & Cushman, 2015;Soteri-Proctor & Phillimore, 2013; Williams, Cloke, & Thomas,2012). Recently Salamon & Sokolowski (2018) explored theidea that market or state failing has contributed to theincreased importance of the third sector. Their findingshowever have been obfuscated by their overly-inclusivedefinition of the sector. Some inroads have been made intoconceptualising the sectors importance to the revitalisationof community in the midst of disruptive neoliberal policies(Fyfe, 2005). However, there remains little in the way ofdemonstrated empirical linkages between this and otherchanges in the economy. In summary, research concludesthat through generating community-led solutions to longterm social problems the third sector has relieved the UKstate of a portion of its welfare responsibilities, but how thisfits with broader fiscal and economic changes remainsunderexplored.I offer a conceptual alteration in the way the third sector isevaluated. It is yet to be asked whether the third sectorcontributes to the operation of neoliberal, self-regulatorylabour markets, wherein labour prices are set by theintersect of supply and demand (see Rubery, Keizer, &Grimshaw, 2016). This is to say, how does the third sector fitwith institutional arrangements that require rolling back statewelfare to increase labour market participation, increasingthe competition for paid employment and putting downwardpressure on wages while also disciplining those in work (Blyth,2002; Greer, 2016; Shapiro & Stiglitz, 1984)? Simply put,current neoliberal labour markets require unemployment(scarcity) and a minimal welfare state (hardship) to function,and I hypothesise the third sector plays an essential role inthe UK in stabilizing labour markets of this nature. Indeed, invarious guises, I would argue charitable organisations havehad this role for a long time.