The study of the nonprofit enterprise: theories and approaches

This volume addresses the need to revisit the economic theories from the last two decades that have contributed to the development of a concentrated research agenda on nonprofit organizations. Long neglected as a topic of theorizing and empirical investigation by mainstream economics in particular, these initial theories of nonprofit organizations from the late 1970s and early 1980s continue to shape theoretical and conceptual efforts. Importantly, their influence extends beyond economics and informs sociological and politics science approaches to the set of organizations and institutions located between the market firm and the state agency as well. While the theoretical map of nonprofit research has expanded beyond these early attempts and now include several other major theories such as stakeholder approaches, supply-side or entrepreneurial theories, institutional theories and comparative approaches. This work suggests that it is time to take stock and reexamine some of the basics from which these economic theories operate. This Work Will Be Essential To Those In The Nonprofit Sector, Organizational Management And Economics, Political Scientists, And Other Researchers Working With The Nonprofit And Voluntary Sector.--jacket. The Theory Of Nonprofit Organizations Revisited / Avner Ben-ner, Benedetto Gui -- The Economics Of The Third Sector: Toward A More Comprehensive Approach / Alberto Bacchiega, Carlo Borzaga -- The Major Theories -- Public Good Theories -- Public Good Theories Of The Nonprofit Sector: Weisbrod Revisited / Bruce R. Kingma -- The Public Goods Theory Revisited: Comments On Kingma's Revisitation Of Weisbrod / Al Slivinski -- Trust-related Theories -- Trust, Repute, And The Role Of Nonprofit Enterprise / Andreas Ortmann, Mark Schlesinger -- The Role Of Trust In Nonprofit Enterprise / Henry Hansmann -- Stakeholder Theories -- Stakeholder Theories Of The Nonprofit Sector: One Cut At The Economic Literature / Michael Krashinsky -- Entrepreneurship Theories -- Entrepreneurship In Nonprofit Organizations: Its Role In Theory And In The Real World Nonprofit Sector / Christoph Badelt -- Entrepreneurs, Managers, And The Nonprofit Enterprise / Dennis R. Young -- Voluntary Failure And Institutional Theories -- Voluntary Failure Theory And Nonprofit-government Partnership / Julian Wolpert -- Voluntary Failure Theory Correctly Viewed / Lester M. Salamon -- State, Subject, Space: Silences In Institutionalist Theories Of Nonprofit-government Relations / Jennifer Wolch -- Organizational Theory And Behavior -- The Behavior Of Organizations / Joseph Galaskiewicz, Wolfgang Bielefeld -- Are Nonprofit Organizations Different? / Evelyn Brody -- Comparisons And Implications. Edited By Helmut K. Anheier And Avner Ben-ner. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This volume addresses the need to revisit the very economic theories that in the past two decades have contributed so much to the development of a concentrated research agenda on nonprofit organizations. Long neglected as a topic of theorizing and empirical investigation by mainstream economics in particular, these initial theories of nonprofit organizations, introduced by Burton Weisbrod (see Chapter 3 by Kingma and Chapter 4 by Slivinsky) and Henry Hansmann (see Chapter 5 by Ortmann and Schlesinger and Chapter 6 by Hansmann) and others in the late 1970sand early 1980s, continue to shape theoretical and conceptual efforts. Importantly, their influence extends beyond economics and informs sociological and political science approaches to the set of organizations and institutions located between the market firm and the state agency as well (see Chapter 10 by Wolpert, Chapter 11 by Salamon, and Chapter 12 by Wolch; also Anheier & Ben-Ner, 1997; DiMaggio & Anheier, 1990). While the theoretical map of nonprofit research has expanded beyond these early attempts and now includes several other major theories such as stakeholder approaches (Chapter I by Ben-Ner and Gui, and Chapter 7 by Krashinsky), supply-side or entrepreneurial theories (Chapter 8 by Badelt and Chapter 9 by Young), institutional theories (Chapter 17 by DiMaggio), and comparative approaches (Chapter 15 by Anheier; see also Salamon & Anheier, 1998), we nonethelesssuggest that it is time to takestockand reexamine some of the very basics from which these economic theories operate. This is the main purpose ofthe book. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Theory of Nonprofit Organizations Revisited....Pages 3-26 The Economics of the Third Sector....Pages 27-48 Front Matter....Pages 49-49 Entrepreneurship in Nonprofit Organizations....Pages 139-159 Entrepreneurs, Managers, and the Nonprofit Enterprise....Pages 161-168 Voluntary Failure Theory and Nonprofit-Government Partnership....Pages 171-182 Voluntary Failure Theory Correctly Viewed....Pages 183-186 State, Subject, Space....Pages 187-201 The Behavior of Organizations....Pages 205-237 Are Nonprofit Organizations Different?....Pages 239-244 Public Good Theories of the Nonprofit Sector....Pages 53-65 The Public Goods Theory Revisited....Pages 67-74 Trust, Repute, and the Role of Nonprofit Enterprise....Pages 77-114 The Role of Trust in Nonprofit Enterprise....Pages 115-122 Stakeholder Theories of the Nonprofit Sector....Pages 125-136 Front Matter....Pages 245-245 Dimensions of the Nonprofit Sector....Pages 247-276 Economic Theories of Nonprofit Organizations....Pages 277-309 An Ecological Perspective on Nonprofit Research....Pages 311-320 Back Matter....Pages 321-331