Estado de bienestar y tercer sector social en España. El estado de la investigación social

After providing a socio-historical outline of the development of the Welfare State and the Third Sector, this article analyses and describes the nature, reconstitution and institutionalisation of the social Third Sector within the context of a reorganisation of the Welfare State that it has been part of for the last 20 years. We highlight the way in which this institutionalisation has not only affected its internal organisation, but has also led to a sustained growth in the number of organisations and of empirical research projects on its socio-economic structure and dimension, providing a comparative yet critical assessment of these aspects. The text ends with an analysis of the chief tendencies and challenges faced by the social Third Sector, which are likely to be dealt with in the near future.