Civil society sometimes has an “infantalised relationship” with central government, the chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) has said.
Speaking at an event last Thursday, Andy Haldane said he did not think the sector “has always put its best foot forward when making its case” to government.
Haldane, former chief economist of the Bank of England, said charities should make their case to government “more compellingly” than by asking it to “give us more money”.
“We’re doing good things without backing that up with some concrete evidence to demonstrate the good thing, but also without necessarily seeking alternative sources of financing,” he told delegates at the School for Social Entrepreneurs event in London.
Haldane, who is also founder and president of Pro Bono Economics (PBE), suggested match trading – an incentivised grant that matches an organisation’s increase in trading income – as a potential solution.
He said match trading was “a way of making concrete that less infantilised relationship around funding”.
“It was a way of making concrete that partnership model between the private and the civil society sectors,” he said.
“It was an example of an innovative approach to solving a financing problem, which I think we sorely, sorely need.”
Bringing together sectors
Haldane said his focus at the RSA was to “bring together government, the private sector and civil society in effecting change”.
“Insofar as there is a magic recipe for change and progress, it comes from the fusion of public, private and civil society working in partnership.
“All economic progress, almost all social progress, has come from that formula.
“When it comes to doing many things in public policy today, we forget that magic recipe and part of my leadership is about bringing it back.”
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