BookAuthors: McGovern, Pauline (2017)
This book analyses the dynamics that underlie the awarding of public funding to small voluntary organisations in the UK. Using Bourdieu’s later work on state power, the author argues that these competitions for grants, loans and contracts are neoliberal funding ‘games’. Such games tempt grassroots organisations, she demonstrates, not just because they provide funding but because they confer a symbolic profit by defining the 'winner' and improving status. Taking part in these neoliberal funding games, however, can adversely affect the structure and development path of these organisations. Yet her conclusion is upbeat, focusing on the opportunities as well as the challenges that neolibe...