El papel del tercer sector en el reconocimiento y promoción de la dimensión social de la ciudadanía:el caso de la Cruz Roja Española

Laburpena

As a historical subject, citizenship encompasses three dimensions: a social dimension, a civil dimension, and a third dimension, politics. The purpose of this study is to study the evolution of the social rights of citizenship and to determine how the Third Sector of Social Action has played a decisive role in identifying this social dimension, betting on the recognition of social needs and managing to turn many of these needs into rights for citizens. The Third Sector has been evolving, since its origins, to the rhythm of the different problems and situations in which society has found itself, responding to the needs of each historical moment. Initially, Non-Governmental Organizations and Non-for-Profit Institutions were conceived as an instrument of a fundamentally charitable nature, which helped alleviate situations that public administrations and institutions were not capable of solving, mainly due to lack of means. Once the Welfare State was established and settled, the Third Sector began a turnaround in its functions, taking a further step and covering not only issues related to basic needs, but also to the environment, gender, culture, sports, and more. At present, the economic crisis favoured a return of Third Sector Organizations to those functions typical of their origins but breaking with traditional management models, which has allowed the Third Sector to adopt new ways of operating. This research focuses on an approach to the third sector from a sociological perspective, focusing on the entities that work to eradicate poverty and social exclusion. In other words, showing the focus of interest in what is now known as the Third Sector of Social Action (TSSA) and within which the evolution of an organization that was a pioneer in its early days is studied, being able to detect problems and needs in society, solve them and even anticipate current legislation: The Spanish Red Cross.