Abstract
This paper contributes to our understanding of volunteer management by charting some important challenges associated with the governance of one of the UK’s largest timebanking networks. While timebanking is often treated as a form of volunteering, many timebank advocates are keen to distinguish it sharply from traditional volunteering. We suggest that this tension generates a fundamental ‘performance paradox’ in the management of timebanks in the voluntary sector. We draw on political discourse theory to characterise and evaluate associated challenges, suggesting that, when viewed against a host of context-specific organisational and policy pressures, the progressive potential of timebanking cannot be realised as a distinct community economy without adequate support. Instead of taking up a position alongside more traditional forms of volunteering, timebanking is more likely to be subsumed by them.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 486-496 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Voluntas |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:In developing the ideas informing this paper we have benefited enormously from the generous feedback we have received from many people, including colleagues at the Centre for Ideology and Discourse Analysis, University of Essex; at the Technologies of Governance Research Group, especially David Carter; and at the AlterEcos Research Group, Copenhagen Business School. We also thank the journal editors and reviewers for their feedback, and the special issue guest editors, in particular, for their very helpful and constructive comments.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
Copyright:
Copyright 2023 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords
- Discursive bricolage
- Paradox
- Political discourse theory
- Timebanks
- Volunteer management