Philanthropy in the Spotlight: Resourches, reputation and achievements
9th International Research Conference of the European Research Network On Philanthropy
4-5 July, 2019
University of Basel, Switzerland
In recent years the public profile of philanthropy has increased. Across Europe (and beyond) philanthropic actors take the lead in addressing societal issues and the contribution of philanthropy is being (re)discovered by public actors. While philanthropy is not a new phenomenon, its heightened visibility has raised questions about the background and motives of philanthropic organizations and donors, the place of philanthropy within (European) welfare states, and the relationship of philanthropy to other actors that aim to solve societal issues and/or put issues on the societal agenda. An increase in visibility seems to call for more transparency and a better understanding of the achievements, impacts and limitations of philanthropy: we should look the philanthropic gift horse in the mouth.
Hosted by the Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS) at the University of Basel in Switzerland, the conference gathered scholars from various disciplines sharing a motivation to discuss the achievements of philanthropy in the present day, and to generate new questions about how philanthropy might develop in the future. Participants were especially encouraged to send in proposals addressing questions related to the financial and other sources of philanthropy related to the reputation of philanthropic organizations and projects and/or achievements of philanthropy. In doing so, the conference aimed to intitiate a lively debate about the multifaceted character of philanthropy in the past, present and future.
ERNOP welcomed papers and panels addressing questions from a micro- meso- and/or macro perspective and from questions addressing the background, contents and/or output of philanthropy. Papers could be either empirical – using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed method approaches – or theoretical. Topics at the conference included (but are not limited to this alphabetical list):
- Altruism and generosity
- Bequests and intergenerational transfers
- Cross-country studies of philanthropy
- Corporate philanthropy and CSR
- Cross-sector collaboration with for profit organizations or governments
- Diaspora and community philanthropy
- Economics of philanthropy
- Efficacy, efficiency and performance evaluation
- European philanthropy (or philanthropies)
- Family philanthropy
- Fundraising strategies and practices
- Foundation roles and strategies
- Governance of foundations
- High net worth philanthropy
- Impact, outcomes and outputs of philanthropy
- Legal and fiscal issues in philanthropy
- Methodology for philanthropy research
- Morality and ethics of giving
- New frontiers and innovation in philanthropy
- Philanthropy and democracy
- Private and public foundations
- Social innovation, crowdfunding and philanthropy
- Strategies for philanthropy
- Theories of giving and volunteering
- Venture philanthropy, social investment and impact investment
- Volunteering, giving time
Conference papers are available for (associated) ERNOP members through the member portal.