The mainstreaming of the third sector into public policy in England in the late 1990s: whys and wherefores

The voluntary or third sector in England is now receiving more sustained attention from policy makers than ever before. This paper claims that this situation, particularly as given tangible expression through the development of a Compact between the Government and representatives of the third sector, amounts to the mainstreaming of the third sector onto the public policy agenda. It seeks to explain why this has happened in the late 1990s, framed by the “multiple streams” approach of US political scientist John W. Kingdon. The paper draws upon a review of relevant policy and political literature, and interviews with stakeholders in the Government and the third sector, to examine the respective contributions of individual and collective actors in the policy, problem and politics streams.