The key challenges to

undertaking impact research

with social purpose

organisations

Leroy White

University of Bristol

Pressures faced by the sector

The Coalition Government has put new approval mechanisms in place on projects proposed by government departments, with the following pressures on the sector:

• Financial pressures can lead to procurement practices that favour economies of scale, leading to possible polarisation of the sector.

• Increase in private sector organisations winning contracts, and then sub-contracting to VCOs.

• Pressure to work in partnership or collaboration with other organisations.

• Increased competition for funds and higher expectations of evidence of value and impact

• Increased performance measurement by funders

Challenges for the project

• How in light of the varied examples and approaches can we move towards a common framework for measuring impact that is both replicable and relevant?

• How can one get over the possible contradiction between methodological principles and practical realities, such as limited resources, multi-stakeholder, purpose, size, diversity, and complexity of organisations?

• Should we be concerned with managerial, methodological and relational challenges, such as capacity, methods/approaches, data, working in partnership

Background

Assessing the impact of social purpose organisations (SPOs) is a key research priority for project.

How do we value the role that (SPOs) play in delivering services and contributing to general community wellbeing.

UoB’s role: to focus on some key questions

– Contrasting and combining economic and social impact

– The effectiveness of existing tools for impact assessment of SPOs

– Defining and measuring the added value of SPO activity

– Development of aggregate measures of impact

Context

• A growing body of both neo-liberal and social democratic

thinkers (Hayek 1944; Le Grand 2003; Giddens 1998) argue

for a shift away from producer-led to consumer-led models of

government and public service: Democratic Imperative

• Constrained public spending coupled with the economic

downturn, are increasingly putting purchasers and deliverers

of services under pressure to achieve efficiency and value for

money. Efficiency Imperative

• In consequence, the success of public service reform rests

on the development of representative as well as technocratic

networks which can meet the demands of both representative

democracy and the efficient delivery of public goods.

Democracy

Efficiency

Context

Individual:

Personalisation/

accountability

Community:

Social value/

social justice

Democracy

Efficiency

Individual orientation:

Community

orientation:

Choice

Social

Impact

Community

development

Economic

Impact

Measures

Einstein said:

"Not everything that counts can be counted and not

everything that can be counted counts.“

Nevertheless, SPOs should try to measure what

really does count and be aware of what cannot be

measured

Measures

• SROI

• Social Cost benefit

• Cost benefit

• Blended values

• Etc........

Challenges

• Managerial,

• Methodological

• Relational challenges,