The Nature of the Nonprofit Sector

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 sectorthe sector that sits between the market and government. The book encompasses everything from Andrew Carnegie’s turn-of-the-century philosophy of philanthropy to the most recent writings by current scholars and practitioners from a wide variety of perspectives and disciplines. Each part in the book opens with a framing essay by the editors that provides an overview of the central themes and issues, as well as the sometimes competing points of view.

The third edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to feature new essays that analyze the nonprofit sector’s place in our economy and its relationship to our government, and new readings on the economic, community, and civil society theories of the nonprofit sector. The Nature of the Nonprofit Sector is thorough, topical, and above all, accessible to students, making it the ideal text for graduate and upper-division undergraduate nonprofit organizations and management survey courses.

J. Steven Ott is Director of the Institute of Public and International Affairs and professor of political science at the University of Utah. He has served as a consultant to numerous nonprofit organizations and local and state government agencies, and has chaired the Executive Committee of the Nonprofit Management Education Section of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Dr. Ott has authored and edited many books, articles, and chapters on the nonprofit sector and its organizations, organization theory, organizational behavior, human resource management, administrative theory, accountability, and organizational culture.

Lisa A. Dicke is a professor of public administration at the University of North Texas. Dr. Dicke serves on the Executive Council and on the Committee of the Nonprofit Management Education Section of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Her research interests include organizational leadership, as well as accountability in government and nonprofit organizations, and her articles have been published in numerous books and journals.