The role of the third sector in the Slovenian welfare system

Abstract

The paper focuses on an analysis of the third sector's characteristics in Slovenia and its role in the Slovenian welfare system. The findings are based on a survey of a representative sample of third sector organisations in Slovenia in 1996 and 2005 where the same methodology as in the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project was used, thereby making the data internationally comparable. The paper aims at understanding the position of the third sector within the Slovenian welfare system through a comparative analysis of that sector's characteristics and its role in other post-socialistand other European countries. It concludes by discussing the strategies for and future challenges and opportunities of the third sector's developments and its role in the Slovenian welfare system.