ORIGINAL PAPER Between Market and Civic Governance Regimes: Civicness in the Governance of Social Services in Europe Bernard Enjolras Published online: 7 July 2009 Ó International Society for Third-Sector Research and The John’s Hopkins University 2009 Abstract The paper proposes to discuss the issue of civicness in the governance of social services by analyzing policy changes relative to the regulation and gover- nance of social services in Europe. The empirical analysis is structured around the concept of ‘‘governance regime.’’ The paper shows that modernization processes within the field of social services in Europe develop along two radically different regulative conceptions reflected into two different governance regimes: market- based or competitive governance vs civic-based or partnership governance. The governance of social services in Europe appears to take place within a mix between two ideal-typical governance regimes: the market-based and partnership-based governance regimes. Re ´sume ´ L’article propose de discuter le proble `me du civisme dans la gouver- nance des services sociaux en analysant les changements de politique relatifs a ` la re ´glementation et a ` la gouvernance des services sociaux en Europe. L’analyse empirique est structure ´e autour du concept de « re ´gime de gouvernance. » L’article montre que les processus de modernisation dans le domaine des services sociaux en Europe de ´veloppent deux conceptions re ´gulatrices radicalement diffe ´rentes qui se refle `tent dans deux re ´gimes de gouvernance diffe ´rents : concept base ´ sur le marche ´ ou gouvernance compe ´titive par opposition a ` concept base ´ sur le civique ou gouvernance de partenariat. La gouvernance des services sociaux en Europe semble prendre place dans un mix entre deux re ´gimes de gouvernance typiquement ide ´al- istes : les re ´gimes de gouvernance de marche ´ et de gouvernance de partenariat. Zusammenfassung Der Artikel hat das Ziel, die Frage von civicness in der Governance von sozialen Diensten zu diskutieren, indem A ¨ nderungen in der Politik bezu ¨glich Regulierung und Governance von sozialen Diensten in Europa analysiert B. Enjolras (&) Institute for Social Research, Oslo, Norway e-mail: bernard.enjolras@samfunnsforskning.no 123 Voluntas (2009) 20:274–290 DOI 10.1007/s11266-009-9091-2