Vad kan tidigare forskning säga om kvaliteten i idéburen välfärd?

Abstract

This article analyzes how quality is defined, measured, and compared in research on civil society and welfare. Quality and quality development work is essential for all organizations in the welfare sector, regardless of whether they belong to the non-profit, public, or private sector. The review of previous research shows that there are few clear definitions of quality, and that the research mainly focuses on homes for elderly and nursing homes. There are also many ways to operationalize, measure, analyze and compare quality. Furthermore, it is relatively rare that patients, users, and clients determine the quality, instead the research is regularly based on public registers and controls. Almost half of the articles report unambiguously positive relationships between quality, civil society, and welfare, based on comparisons with either or both public and private organizations. The article concludes with some suggestions for future research.