Social Participation Through Volunteering as Co-production of Public Services: Case Study of Latvia

Active civic and social participation is considered to be significantly important for a country`s development in democratic societies. One of the popular forms of active citizenship is volunteering – the third economy sector that produces civic goods and/or services in which the public and private sectors are weak or inactive. In this aspect, volunteering is also a means for organized civil society to participate in the production of public services i.e. co-production. The aim of this research is the exploration of social participation in Latvia through volunteering, including its legal regulation and organizational setup, and identification of the aspects and prospects of volunteering in L…