This article analyzes the changing meanings of ‘partnership’ in the UK, and how it has been used in public policy. In the UK, prior to the recent trends of local governance and network governance, the concept of ‘partnership’ had already existed in different guises since the 1970s. With respect to policy development, the meaning of ‘partnership’ has shifted in parallel with institutional changes to central-local relations and public sector provisions. This article locates the partnership policy of the New Labour government within this historical perspective, and explains how it differs from previous cases. In particular, this article studies the relationship between central-local government relations and the involvement of the voluntary sector in public service provisions. The latter part of this article focuses on post-1997 partnership policies, especially of the ‘Compact’ and ‘local strategic partnerships’, and how ‘local compacts’ are related to the partnership schemes. In conclusion, it is suggested that integrating public service provisions and developing principles for local partnerships would constitute a comprehensive partnership.

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There have been discussions on how to secure diverse financial sources such as donations and membership fees and increase self-sufficient ones such as commercial revenues. This paper examines the relevance of revenue structure and financial viability, employing econometric models and a financial database of Japanese nonprofit organizations developed and released by the Center for Nonprofit Research and Information of Osaka University. Our empirical analysis shows that a concentrated increase in commercial revenues is effective for the short term financial viability, whereas it is advisable to obtain diverse financial sources such as donations and membership fees in order to be financially viable in the mid-and-long term. We have seen realities where many nonprofits are under pressure to carry out daily business and unable to put their effort and energy into fundraising campaigns. However, it is conceivable that nonprofits stagnate in the mid-and-long term due to insufficiency of various financial sources and fail to carry on business and activities ultimately. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously acquire and collect panel data, including disaggregated information of business revenues and donations, so as to develop research on this field and explore revenue strategies which nonprofits should map out.

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It is clear that financial sustainability is one of the most serious problems of nonprofit management. However, financial analysis of NPOs is the new ground that has been developed after 1990's. In Japan, financial analysis with quantitative approach was not carried out since no database was available. Therefore, we developed panel data base of NPO's financial statement and financial ratios that is tailored to NPOs as well. This paper demonstrates the current state of financial condition of NPOs, and the factors that will contribute to their financial sustainability with analysis of that panel database. We analyzed the route that NPOs reach the financial sustainability with a structural equation model. The model confirmed that socially supported income such as donations and membership fees contributes the financial sustainability though it dose not contribute income expansion. On the contrary, the results showed that the income from businesses affects the financial sustainability, though it contributes income expansion.

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Today a variety of entities, such as voluntary groups, conduct research with various purposes, which are different from those of academics. Their research methods are not often in accordance with the scientific methods used for academic/professional research, and criticized by disciplines. However, even their research methods are not done by scientific way; their research might be still meaningful for them and their community. In this article, we consider the meaning of research by voluntary groups through participant observation on Kanagawa Network Movement. The finding is that their research goal differs from academics', and their research done by their own methods is meaningful for participants. Therefore, when academically educated researchers assist or advise them, forcing them to use academic methodology might result in destroying their original research purpose. Another issue is that the voluntary group is prepossessed with a belief that research results must be shown in a manner of academic research even though their research is not done by scientific method. So, we also need to consider breaking the people's image and belief in “what research results ought to be shown.”

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