Abstract
This paper reviews the context and history of relationships between the non-profit sector and government in the UK. The opening section provides some background information on the nature and structure of the non-profit sector in the UK. Using the field of regeneration programmes as a focus, the paper then charts the changing nature of the relationship between government and the sector over the closing part of the twentieth century. It charts in particular the move from paternalism through service agency and to community governance as the dominating mode of this relationship. The final part of the paper considers the ‘Voluntary Sector Compact’ as an example of this latter mode of relationship. It details the importance of trust, culture and process in such a modal relationship and considers how this might be most effectively implemented in the UK.
