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.
Part 1. Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector. 1.1 Roles and Responsibilities of Nonprofit Organizations in a Democracy. 1. 2. Democratic Governance and Institutional Logic within the Third Sector (or How Habermas Discovered the Coffee House). 1. 3. The Idea of A Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector. Part 2. The U.S. Nonprofit Sector's Historical Evolution, Distinctive Values, and Contributions to Society. 2.1 History and Theories of Nonprofit Organizations . 2.2 The Impact of the Voluntary Sector on Society. 2.3 The Gospel of Wealth. 2.4 Critical Perspectives on the History and Development of the Nonprofit Sector in the United States. Part 3. The NGO Sector Internationally - Nonprofit Organizations across Nations. 3. 1 International Trends in Government- Nonprofit Relations. 3.2 The Internationalization of the Nonprofit Sector. 3.3 International Assistance. Part 4. Tax-Exemption and Tax-Deduction. 4.1 Tax-Exempt Organization. 4.2 A Political Theory of Philanthropy. 4.3 Why Are Nonprofits Exempt from the Corporate Income Tax? Part 5. Economic Theories of the Nonprofit Sector. 5.1 Ownership and Organizational Forms Henry. 5.2 Market Failure. 5.3 Contract Failure Theory. 5.4 Government Failure. 5.5 Economic Theories of the Social Sector. Part 6. Political Theories of the Nonprofit Sector. 6.1 The Constitution of Citizens. 6.2 The Influence of Nonprofit Organizations on the Political Environment. 6.3 Insider Status and Outsider Tactics. Part 7. Community and Civil Society Theories of the Nonprofit Sector. 7.1 Bowling Alone: Thinking about Social Change in America. 7.2 Civil Society as a Public Sphere. 7.3 Civil Society as Associational Life To Empower People. Part 8. Theories of Relations within and between Sectors. 8.1 The Point of Partnering. 8.2 Government-Nonprofit Cooperation. 8.3 Public-Private Partnership in Turbulent Times. 8.4 Comparing New Hybrid Governance Arrangements. Part 9. The Nongovernmental (NGO) Sector in Countries around the World and Why They Differ. 9.1 A Cross-National Philanthropic Puzzle. 9.2 Global Perspectives on the Legal Framework for Civil Society and Relational Governance. 9.3 Organizations That Straddle the State-Society Divide. 9.4 Nonprofit Legislation in China.
Biography
J. Steven Ott is Director of the Institute of Public and International Affairs and Professor of political science and public administration at the University of Utah, USA.
Lisa A. Dicke is Professor of public administration at the University of North Texas, USA.
Praise for the Fourth Edition:
"Ott and Dicke have done a great service to our field by editing The Nature of the Nonprofit Sector and its companion volume on micro approaches Understanding Nonprofit Organizations. By providing content on macro and micro understandings of leading and managing in the sector, students of nonprofit organizations have a concise understanding of the field at their fingertips." – Roseanne M. Mirabella, The Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
Praise for previous editions:
"Ott and Dicke should be applauded for their outstanding efforts, which bridge the macro and micro levels of the nonprofit sector for the first time and consequentially enrich the intellectual understanding of the field."—Public Administration Review, Vol. 73, Issue 1, January/February, 2013
"The editors have done the work for you―if you want to understand the theories behind the nonprofit sector, this is the book to read."—Joanne Carman, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
"[A] wonderful collection of readings, eminently suitable for introductory courses as well as great starting point for more advanced students and scholars. Theory and practice, national and international, and current and historical perspectives are all embraced in this valuable book."—Dennis R. Young, Georgia State University
