Nonprofit Organizations And Civil Society In The United States

LeRoux and Feeney’s Nonprofit Organizations and Civil Society in the United States makes a departure from existing nonprofit texts on the market: rather than focus on management, it focuses on nonprofit organizations and their contributions to the social, political, and economic dimensions of society. The book also covers the nexus between nonprofits and civil society. This text offers a theory-oriented undergraduate introduction to the nonprofit field and an examination of the multifaceted roles these organizations play in American society.

The third space is not independent from society's major institutions, but exists in dynamic interdependence with them, linking individuals in their home bases of family and community to the larger governmental and economic structures within which all citizens, workers, and consumers learn to seek their way in modern society."--BOOK JACKET.

Explores the expanding global reach of nonprofit organizations and the implications of their growing importance.

Exhorting people to volunteer is part of the everyday vocabulary of American politics. Routinely, members of both major parties call for partnerships between government and nonprofit organizations. These entreaties increase dramatically during times of crisis, and the voluntary efforts of ordinary citizens are now seen as a necessary supplement to government intervention. But despite the ubiquity of the idea of volunteerism in public policy debates, analysis of its role in American governance has been fragmented. Bringing together a diverse set of disciplinary approaches, Politics and Partnerships is a thorough examination of the place of voluntary associations in political history and an astute investigation into contemporary experiments in reshaping that role. The essays here reveal the key role nonprofits have played in the evolution of both the workplace and welfare and illuminate the way that government’s retreat from welfare has radically altered the relationship between nonprofits and corporations.

The essays in this book reflect pioneering efforts to study the global movement of ideas and institutions. They deal with topics of significant contemporary importance: initiatives to address the AIDS epidemic in East Africa; to protect the peoples and ecosystems of the Amazon; to advance the "truth and reconciliation" process in South Africa and in other areas of great conflict; to promote "civil society" in Eastern Europe and Central Asia; to advocate for environmental protection in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and Japan; and to spread Rotary Clubs and encourage "social entrepreneurship" throughout the world. These essays highlight a wide range of research, paying close attention to the realities of particular situations and to current thinking about general processes.

This collection brings together the views of a stellar assemblage of scholars, practitioners, . . . and a host of other talented and distinguished citizens of the independent sector . . . . A 'must read.' —Philanthropy Monthly In an attempt to analyze future directions of the increasingly influential nonprofit sector, the American Assembly and the Indiana Center on Philanthropy sponsored a conference that brought in leading scholars and practitioners. Participants were asked to consider what forces will determine the shape and activities of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector in the next decade. This volume is a product of this inquiry. Contributors focused on a variety of pressures, including the devolution of federal programs, the blurring of lines between non-profit and for-profit organizations; the changing distributions of income; a revived interest in community and civil society; the evolution of religion and other regulatory reform; and a retreat of government from various policy areas.

The thousands of organizations that comprise America's private nonprofit sector represent a national treasure. Yet serious pressures are altering the playing field on which nonprofits operate, and many are responding in ways that may undermine their popular support. Despite the significance of these developments, little has been done to analyze and interpret them in a clear and understandable way. Lester M. Salamon, a leading authority on the nonprofit sector, has joined forces with more than a dozen other experts and the Aspen Institute to produce this volume, an integrated, authoritative assessment of the state of nonprofit America and the key trends affecting its evolution. The book is organized into three sections. The first summarizes critical trends and issues; the second examines each of the sector's major subsectors (e.g., health, education, social services, arts and culture, international assistance, advocacy); the third focuses on major cross-cutting trends and issues (commercialization, changing government policy, accountability, and demographic and technological imperatives). The Resilient Sector will be updated every two years. It provides a basic sourcebook for sector leaders, the press, public officials, and citizens concerned about the future of America's nonprofit sector and eager to understand the forces affecting it.

A one-stop guide to the people, concepts and organizations of the third sector.