The community impacts of volunteering involve direct or indirect – short-term and long-term – consequences of voluntary organisation and mobilisation for individuals, local communities, or society in general. The Centre for Research on Civil Society and Voluntary Sector has, during the period 2020–2024, investigated the role and significance of civil society in various areas, including the democratic role of voluntary organisations and the societal contributions of volunteering during the pandemic and in response to migration and new refugee flows.
Regarding the civil society role of voluntary organisations, the centre's research shows that these organisations are crucial for democracy as channels for citizens to influence political decisions, although they vary in the extent to which they play this role. The centre's research indicates that to understand why different immigrant groups participate to a greater extent than others, one must consider both experiences from their home countries and various aspects of their context in Norway.
However, there is a need to strengthen and further develop knowledge and research on how voluntary organisations contribute to solving significant societal challenges and develop methods to measure the community impacts of the organisations' activities in areas particularly relevant to their operations. In this centre period (2025–2029), we will particularly highlight three different themes related to the community impacts of volunteering: Volunteering in rural areas, integration and inclusion of Ukrainian refugees in Norway, and the democratic function of organisations. These themes address three major societal challenges globally and locally: depopulation in rural areas, migration, and complex threats to democracy.
Key Questions in This Work:
- Does civil society contribute to meeting service needs to a greater extent in depopulation-threatened municipalities than in other municipalities?
- What are the barriers and success factors for participation in civil society and voluntary activities among Ukrainian refugees?
- To what extent do civil society organisations help nuance or correct political decisions that lack legitimacy in parts of the population?