Nonprofit Organizations and Civil Society in the United States

"Nonprofit Organizations and Civil Society in the United States provides a basic introduction to the U.S. nonprofit and civil society sector and examines the social, political, and economic impact of these organizations in America. The book is divided into four parts. First, it examines the legal foundations, history and evolution of the U.S. nonprofit sector, along with theories that explain the existence of a nonprofit sector. Next, it explores the impact that nonprofits have on American social life through the creation of social capital, providing opportunities to associate, creating outlets for the expression of group interests, and promoting a civil society. The book then takes up an exploration of the roles that nonprofits play in the American political landscape. Finally, the authors examine nonprofits' economic impacts both in terms of their share of the U.S. labor force, as well as nonprofit production of goods and services that are sold in the American marketplace. "--

Kelly LeRoux is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she teaches courses in nonprofit management. Before beginning an academic career, she worked for eleven years as an administrator for a nonprofit behavioural health and housing organization, and has served on numerous nonprofit boards. Her research has been published in more than a dozen public and nonprofit management journals and has been sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Kresge Foundation, the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement, the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy, and the Great Cities Institute.

Mary K. Feeney is an Associate Professor at the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University and is the Lincoln Professor of Ethics in Public Affairs. She also serves as the Associate Director for the Center for Science Technology and Environmental Policy Studies at ASU. Her research focuses on public and nonprofit management and science and technology policy. Feeney has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles in public management, science and technology policy, and higher education research and co-authored the book Red Tape Research: A Prism for Public Administration Theory with Barry Bozeman.