Synergies and challenges in collaborative third sector research: the 'Contracting for Care' project 1995-96

It is critical that the third sector research community develop valid comparable baseline data on a range of issues affecting the sector in this country. The 'Contracting for Care' Project was the first project in Australia to seek such data in relation to the state-third sector relationship. The project's story is told through a chronology of the main research design decisions using quotes from the researchers' meeting notes and project documentation. This article seeks to articulate the possibilities and tensions of collaborative multi-researcher projects focussing on the Australian third sector