Philanthropic Foundations and Social Welfare : A Comparative Study of Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom (England)

The existing welfare regime literature identifies differences in welfare state systems. Sarah Förster asks, if we can learn something on the organizational level about the embedding of philanthropic foundations in the field of social welfare in different welfare state systems. This investigation is based on comparative insights from the three country cases of Germany, Sweden and the UK (England). Guided by propositions from theoretical analysis of welfare regime literature, comparative explorative case studies based on interview data and secondary sources give insights into the field and the embedding of philanthropic social welfare foundations in the three different welfare state systems. Each type of foundation has different levels of independence from external constraints and is embedded to different degrees according to the propositions from welfare regime theory. These differences hold further implications for the investigation of foundations as a special organizational form. Contents Research Problem and Broader Research Context Welfare Regimes and the Underlying Logic of Country Differences Plan of Inquiry Country Case Studies Regime Influence, Theoretical Propositions Target Groups Researchers and students of sociology and political science Foundation managers, politicians, practitioners in welfare associations, and social service providers The Author Sarah Förster works at the Office for Research and Innovation at the Technical University of Munich Acknowledgment 5 Table of content 6 List of figures 10 List of tables 10 Abbreviations 14 1 Introduction 15 1.1 Research problem and broader research context 15 1.2 Terminology 21 1.2.1 The concept of embeddedness 21 1.2.2 Carrier foundations as operating foundation type 22 1.2.3 Social welfare field 22 1.3 Thesis outline 23 2 Theoretical framework 24 2.1 Welfare regimes and the underlying logic of country differences 25 2.2 Typology analysis and theoretical propositions 31 2.2.1 Short data overview – Government social welfare spending, NPO sector and foundations 31 2.2.2 Varieties of Capitalism – Typology and propositions 35 2.2.3 Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism – Typology and propositions 40 2.2.4 Social Origins – Typology and propositions 49 2.3 Summary and implications 55 2.3.1 Reflection on the heuristic procedure of the typology analysis 56 2.3.2 Concluding remarks for the theoretical framework 57 3 Methodology and data 59 3.1 Plan of inquiry 59 3.2 Operationalization 62 3.2.1 The Varieties of Capitalism propositions 62 3.2.2 The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism propositions 64 3.2.3 The Social Origins propositions 66 3.3 Foundation sector data from a comparative perspective 69 3.4 Interview data collection 70 3.4.1 Germany 70 3.4.2 Sweden 71 3.4.3 England 71 3.5 Analysis and Coding 72 3.6 Conclusion 74 4 Germany 75 4.1 Brief historical perspective on welfare state and nonprofit sector development in Germany 75 4.1.1 The field and its structural principle 81 4.2 Philanthropic foundations and social welfare in Germany – with emphasis on engagement for children and young people 83 4.2.1 Concise overview on the legal framework for foundations in Germany 83 4.2.2 Empirical picture of foundations in Germany: Differentiation 84 4.2.3 Social welfare foundations over time and specialties of the subsector 88 4.2.4 Representative survey insights 90 4.2.5 Grant-making foundations in the field 92 4.2.6 Insights from large operating carrier foundations 93 4.3 Conclusion 99 4.3.1 Theoretical propositions 100 5 Sweden 104 5.1 Brief historical perspective on welfare state and nonprofit sector development in Sweden 104 5.1.1 Religion and the nonprofit sector 113 5.1.2 The field and its structural principle 114 5.2 Philanthropic foundations and social welfare in Sweden – with emphasis on engagement for children and young people 116 5.2.1 Concise overview on the legal framework for foundations in Sweden 116 5.2.2 Empirical picture of foundations in Sweden: Differentiation 118 5.2.3 Social welfare foundations over time and specialty of the subsector 121 5.2.4 Operating foundations for children and young people 126 5.2.5 Insights from grant-making foundations in the field 128 5.3 Conclusion 131 5.3.1 Theoretical propositions 132 6 The UK (England) 136 6.1 Brief historical perspective on welfare state and nonprofit sector development in the UK 137 6.1.1 The field and its structural principle 143 6.2 Philanthropic foundations and social welfare in the UK – with emphasis on engagement for children and young people 144 6.2.1 Concise overview on the legal framework for foundations in England and Wales 145 6.2.2 Empirical picture of foundations in the UK: Differentiation 146 6.2.3 Social welfare foundations peculiarities 150 6.2.4 Operating foundations for children and young people 152 6.2.5 Grant-making foundations and the state 156 6.2.6 Insights on a general grant-making funder in social welfare 159 6.3 Conclusion 161 6.3.1 Theoretical propositions 164 7 Comparative results 168 7.1 Foundations and social welfare from a comparative perspective – regime influence, theoretical propositions 168 7.1.1 Varieties of Capitalism 170 7.1.2 Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism 177 7.1.3 Social Origins 184 7.2 Concluding argument: The foundation continuum in social welfare 187 8 Conclusion 191 8.1 Summary 191 8.2 Contributions 192 8.2.1 Contributions to the understanding of welfare regime theory 192 8.2.2 Contributions to the understanding of nonprofit sector studies 193 8.2.3 Contributions to the comparative understanding of foundations 194 8.3 Policy implications 196 8.4 Limitations and research desiderata 199 8.4.1 Limitations 200 8.4.2 Research desiderata 201 Appendix A: European Foundation Sectors Overview 203 Appendix B: Overview on dimensions of ITSSOIN - classification of nonprofit sectors 206 Appendix C: Project Information– Roles and Positioning of German Foundations 207 Appendix D: Interviews 208 Appendix E: Interview Manuals 210 Appendix F: Interview Analysis Coding 224 Appendix G: German tax law – §52 Abgabenordnung 229 Bibliography 232 Front Matter ....Pages i-xv Introduction (Sarah Förster)....Pages 1-9 Theoretical framework (Sarah Förster)....Pages 11-45 Methodology and data (Sarah Förster)....Pages 47-62 Germany (Sarah Förster)....Pages 63-91 Sweden (Sarah Förster)....Pages 93-124 The UK (England) (Sarah Förster)....Pages 125-156 Comparative results (Sarah Förster)....Pages 157-179 Conclusion (Sarah Förster)....Pages 181-192 Back Matter ....Pages 193-243