The third sector delivering public services: an evidence review
Macmillan, R.
Third Sector Research Centre
4 May 2017
This 2010 paper examines research evidence, argument and policy development on the third sector and public service delivery in the UK over the preceding five to ten years.
Forty-eight separate pieces of research, published between 2004 and 2010 on the themes of public service delivery, commissioning and procurement, are reviewed. This body of literature represents the research response to the new third sector public service delivery landscape, which developed out of the UK Labour government's interest in promoting the sector's role in service delivery.
The review examines four themes developed from the literature:
- emerging commissioning and procurement practices;
- the experiences of third sector organisations in the new service delivery landscape;
- the support needs of third sector organisations; and
- the impact of the new service delivery landscape on third sector organisations.
Last modified on 23 April 2025
