Why Civil Society Matters More Than Ever, with Andy Haldane (and Neil Heslop)

<p>In this episode we talk to Andy Haldane, Chief Economist of the Bank of England about his long-standing interest in civil society, why he thinks it is so important yet undervalued, and what sort of challenges and opportunities the coming years may bring. We also have some analysis and additional insight from CAF CEO Neil Heslop.</p> <p>Including:</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>The economy and charitable giving</strong></p> <ul> <li>If the UK economy is like a “coiled spring”, and once lockdown measures are relaxed we will see a significant bounce-back as people start to spend again, will we also see a corresponding rise in charitable giving?</li> <li>Are there any concerns that some charities will have lost operational and fundraising capacity as a result of the pandemic, and this might limit their ability to harness any increase in giving?</li> </ul> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>The Role of Civil Society</strong></p> <ul> <li>What is the core role of the voluntary sector within society which differentiates it from either state or market provision?</li> <li>As the landscape for doing good appears to be expanding (with the emergence of mutual aid networks, digital social movements, purpose-led businesses, impact investing etc) do we need to make a renewed case for the unique value of charitable organisations? If so, what is that USP?</li> <li>Should we have any concerns that some of our models for engaging in civil society have become too transactional and thus may not be developing social capital in the way we might want?</li> </ul> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Measurement</strong></p> <ul> <li>Many argue that a major challenge facing civil society is that most current systems of measurement do not capture the full value of what charities and other civil society organisations do. What should we be measuring instead?</li> <li>Is this more about better measurement within civil society, or about changing the measures government uses (e.g. GDP) so that they capture a wider notion of value