The Organizational Character of the Voluntary Service Agency in Israel

As the first phase of an international comparative analysis of voluntary service agencies (VSAs), this exploratory study of fifteen Israeli VSAs in the field of the physically and mentally handicapped examines the major environmental and structural factors affecting three functions usually ascribed to VSAs: innovation, social change, and voluntary citizen participation. The various patterns of VSA role performance can be explained by the sociopolitical context, public-policy, fiscal-resource, and governance systems, organizational size, and the nature of the problem disability. The findings have implications for policy and research and suggest a reconceptualization and a more realistic evaluation of VSA roles, prerequisites, constraints, and possibilities in welfare democracies.