Heart over profit: unravelling the discourse on the non- profit sector’s added value

Abstract

This paper explores Members of Parliament (MPs) perceptions of non-profit sector added value by analysing Norwegian parliamentary debates (2018–2020) through Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). It examines how parliamentarians discursively legitimize non-profit sector organizations in public service delivery, thereby providing a lens through which this sector’s added value can be understood. We find that members of parliament legitimize non-profit sector participation on the basis of their functional and moral added value, relying on various discursive legitimization strategies. The findings offer new methodological and theoretical insights for non-profit research, contributing to discussions on the non-profits’ role and value in welfare state services, emphasizing their added value.