The Sociology of Nonprofit Organizations and Sectors. DiMaggio, P. J. & Anheier, H. K. Annual Review of Sociology, 16:137--159, January, 1990. ArticleType: research-article / Full publication date: 1990 / Copyright © 1990 Annual Reviews
The Sociology of Nonprofit Organizations and Sectors [link]Paper  abstract   bibtex   
\textlessp\textgreaterInterest in and research on nonprofit organizations and sectors have developed rapidly in recent years. Much of this work by sociologists has focussed on particular subsectors rather than on nonprofits as a class. This review attempts to extract from a large and varied literature a distinctively sociological perspective on nonprofits, which it contrasts to influential work in economics. Two questions--"Why (and where) are there nonprofit organizations" and "What difference does nonprofitness make?"--are addressed at the levels of organization, industry, and firm. Three central conclusions, each with research implications, emerge from this review: (a) The origins and behavior of nonprofit organizations reflect institutional factors and state policies as well as the social-choice processes and utility functions emphasized by economists. (b) Understanding the origins of nonprofit sectors and behavioral differences between nonprofits and for-profit or government organizations requires an industry-level ecological perspective. (c) "Nonprofitness" has no single trans-historical or transnational meaning; nonprofit-sector functions, origins, and behavior reflect specific legal definitions, cultural inheritances, and state policies in different national societies.
@article{dimaggio_sociology_1990,
	title = {The {Sociology} of {Nonprofit} {Organizations} and {Sectors}},
	volume = {16},
	issn = {0360-0572},
	url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/2083266},
	abstract = {{\textless}p{\textgreater}Interest in and research on nonprofit organizations and sectors have developed rapidly in recent years. Much of this work by sociologists has focussed on particular subsectors rather than on nonprofits as a class. This review attempts to extract from a large and varied literature a distinctively sociological perspective on nonprofits, which it contrasts to influential work in economics. Two questions--"Why (and where) are there nonprofit organizations" and "What difference does nonprofitness make?"--are addressed at the levels of organization, industry, and firm. Three central conclusions, each with research implications, emerge from this review: (a) The origins and behavior of nonprofit organizations reflect institutional factors and state policies as well as the social-choice processes and utility functions emphasized by economists. (b) Understanding the origins of nonprofit sectors and behavioral differences between nonprofits and for-profit or government organizations requires an industry-level ecological perspective. (c) "Nonprofitness" has no single trans-historical or transnational meaning; nonprofit-sector functions, origins, and behavior reflect specific legal definitions, cultural inheritances, and state policies in different national societies.},
	urldate = {2011-08-02},
	journal = {Annual Review of Sociology},
	author = {DiMaggio, Paul J. and Anheier, Helmut K.},
	month = jan,
	year = {1990},
	note = {ArticleType: research-article / Full publication date: 1990 / Copyright © 1990 Annual Reviews},
	pages = {137--159},
	file = {The Sociology of Nonprofit Organizations and Sectors - DiMaggio and Anheier copy.pdf:files/35961/The Sociology of Nonprofit Organizations and Sectors - DiMaggio and Anheier copy.pdf:application/pdf;The Sociology of Nonprofit Organizations and Sectors - DiMaggio and Anheier.pdf:files/34316/The Sociology of Nonprofit Organizations and Sectors - DiMaggio and Anheier.pdf:application/pdf}
}

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