The Nonprofit Sector In International Perspective

Arising as a market-induced improvement on existing governmental services and competing with the government for customers and resources, nonprofit organizations are a relatively unexplored area of public policy. This collection of essays, written by scholars from a variety of disciplines, adds new dimensions to the theory of nonprofit organizations, and describes the public policies regarding nonprofit organizations that do or should exist in both developing and developed countries. The contributors consider why governments subsidize such organizations, the problems such subsidies create, and the role played, from an international perspective, by religion and other ideological institutions in the founding and managing of nonprofit services.

This text presents a perspective on the third sector. Rather than considering non-governmental development organizations and voluntary agencies separately, it explores the similarities, differences and growing connections between them in both northern and southern contexts. Authors in the field consider the differences in scale and priority that exist between different types of third sector organizations in different settings, as well as the common challenges of accountability, legitimacy, effectiveness and governance. Models of learning and communication, including southern ideas such as micro-credit provision, are also examined, as are the continuing barriers.

The Nature of the Nonprofit Sector is a collection of insightful and influential classic and recent readings on the existence, forms, and functions of the nonprofit sector—the sector that sits between the market and government. The readings encompass a wide variety of perspectives and disciplines and cover everything from Andrew Carnegie’s turn-of-the-century philosophy of philanthropy to the most recent writings of current scholars and practitioners. Each of the text’s ten parts opens with a framing essay by the editors that provides an overview of the central themes and issues, as well as sometimes competing points of view. The fourth edition of this comprehensive volume includes both new and classic readings, as well as two new sections on the international NGO sector and theories about intersectoral relations. The Nature of the Nonprofit Sector, Fourth Edition is therefore an impressively up-to-date reader designed to provide students of nonprofit and public management with a thorough overview of this growing field.

“Timely, unique, and definitive . . . not only chronicles the history of the nonprofit sector but also provides a broad but critical analysis of its current state.” —Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York The nonprofit sector has changed in fundamental ways in recent decades. As the sector has grown in scope and size, both domestically and internationally, the boundaries between for-profit, governmental, and charitable organizations have become intertwined. Nonprofits are increasingly challenged on their roles in mitigating or exacerbating inequality. And debates flare over the role of voluntary organizations in democratic and autocratic societies alike. The Nonprofit Sector takes up these concerns and offers a cutting-edge empirical and theoretical assessment of the state of the field. This book, now in its third edition, brings together leading researchers—economists, historians, philosophers, political scientists, and sociologists along with scholars from communication, education, law, management, and policy schools—to investigate the impact of associational life. Chapters consider the history of the nonprofit sector and of philanthropy; the politics of the public sphere; governance, mission, and engagement; access and inclusion; and global perspectives on nonprofit organizations. Across this comprehensive range of topics, The Nonprofit Sector makes an essential contribution to the study of civil society. Praise for previous editions “Takes a decidedly multidisciplinary approach . . . .invaluable.” —Journal of Policy Analysis and Management “A major contribution to the field.” —Social Forces

Over the past decade, the third sector has had tremendous growth worldwide in both size and importance. As many countries struggle to address this changing reality, many have adopted policy initiatives aimed at changing the ways the third sector is addressed. It is a complex process, involving different fields of practice, different levels of government, and different types of third sector organizations. The contributions to this timely volume detail the process as carried out in eight diverse countries: US UK, Canada, Hungary, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, all of whom have recently enacted policy initiatives towards the third sector. The studies are comprehensive: from reviewing the current policy, enacting new laws, supervisory mechanisms, and modes of funding. Featuring a postscript from Helmut Anheier (UCLA School of Public Policy, Los Angeles, CA, USA and Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany), the thorough analysis in this volume will provide a new understanding of the policy initiatives in the eight countries studied, as well as guiding principles for other countries that may implement such initiatives in the future. The resulting work will give researchers in sociology, social work, third sector research, and international economics a new framework for understanding the Third Sector: its role in society, and its relationships with government, the market, and the citizens of the country.

Comparative information detailing the cultural, legal and historical environments of foundations in international settings has been scarce - until now. Written by scholars from six countries, this text covers philanthropic foundations in the world's busiest commercial centers - the U.S. and Eastern and Western Europe. It reports on the structures and mindsets that shape foundations' gift giving, and discusses different aspects of foundation management. Case studies of the French and Italian foundation communities and a comparative legal chapter are especially notable.