Research Notes for Policy Makers and Advocacy Specialists
Corporate Foundations as Partnership Brokers in Supporting the SDGs
Author: Theresa Gehringer
Provided by: Sevda Kilicalp from Philea Philanthropy Europe Association (Philea)
To what extent do Corporate Foundations (CF) consider SDGs in their processes and activities? To what extent do CF perceive themselves as initiators of cross-sector collaborative arrangements to support SDGs? This article seeks to understand whether corporate foundations (CF) proactively incorporate SDGs and agree on their role to act not only as direct financiers but also as brokers facilitating the process of cross-sector partnerships.
Barriers to social impact assessment and foundations
Authors: Elisa Ricciuti – Bocconi University | Francesca Calò – Glasgow Caledonian University
Provided by: Filippo Candela from Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation
Foundations are key players in the philanthropic sector in Italy. However, it is unclear how they are engaged in Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in terms of motivations, methods and approach. The authors explore foundations’ understanding of impact, their methods in undertaking the process and the barriers they face.
Who has a seat at the table in impact investing?
Authors: Guillermo Casasnovas – Esade Business School | Jessica Jones – University of Tennessee
Provided by: Nathalie Sauvanet from BNP Paribas Wealth Management
This article describes the current design and limits of the impact investing field and highlights the main changes needed to deliver the positive impact it aims to achieve. The authors advocate three entwined evolutions: incorporating vulnerable communities, having a systemic-change approach and addressing structural inequalities.
Does socio-economic inequality affect individuals’ civic engagement?
Authors: Joris Schröder – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Michaela Neumayr – Vienna University of Economics and Business
Provided by: Cornelia Walther from the University of Pennsylvania and POZE Global Network
Higher inequality is often negatively related to civic engagement, and individual factors moderate this relation. This study is relevant for people working in philanthropy because empirical results vary considerably, and explanations about what underlies this relationship remain fragmented. How does inequality affect individuals’ civic engagement in charitable giving, volunteering and non-profit membership?
Effects of tax incentives on donations in the canton of Geneva
Authors: Giedre Lideikyte Huber – University of Geneva | Marta Pittavino – University of Geneva
Provided by: Maryte Somare
This article focuses on identifying different profiles of donors and attempts to discern whether the ceiling of tax deductions available in the Canton of Geneva may have influenced the amounts donated.
Aligning interests, accountabilities and Social Impact Bonds
Authors: Reinhard Millner (WU Vienna), Michael Meyer (WU Vienna)
Provided by: Sophie HersbergerLangloh (Consense Philanthropy Consulting)
The authors examine the case of the first Social Impact Bond (SIB) in Austria and take a closer look at the influence of the – often divergent – interests of the parties involved. Key questions: How do different interests and accountabilities shape the arrangement of a SIB? How do they influence its collaborative governance?
Strengthening engagement with philanthropic foundations
Authors: Tobias Jung (University of St Andrews), Kevin Orr (University of St Andrews)
Provided by: Maliha Hasan (University of Toronto)
The authors suggest using a distinct way to advance our theoretical understanding of philanthropic institutions known as ‘foundations’. They suggest using spectrality – a lens that enables an exploration of important social, ethical and political questions of influence and nuance, historical reasonings, people, practices and perspectives that may not be blatantly obvious, clearly stated or even rooted in the present but influence how foundations are set up, their impact, operations and how they are perceived. They propose and critically explore spectrality as a strategic platform from which stronger theorizing on philanthropic foundations as a distinct institutional form can proceed.
Volunteering is most beneficial for elderly and less healthy Europeans
Author: Arjen de Wit (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Heng Qu (Texas A&M University), René Bekkers (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Provided by: Katherine Hermans from Global Changemakers
The article examines the health advantages of volunteering for European adults. Does volunteering have health benefits? And if so, who benefits most? The results of the study suggest volunteering not only has a positive impact on society as a whole but may also indicate a health advantage for volunteers over the age of 60 and those in poor health. In almost all European countries, volunteers report better health than non-volunteers, indicating that policymakers should promote volunteering as a possible route to better health and healthy ageing.
Six essential dimensions for impact investing
Authors: Kai Hockerts – Copenhagen Business School | Lisa Hehenberger – Esade | Stefan Schaltegger – Leuphana University Lüneburg | Vanina Farber – IMD
Provided by: Bob Galesloot from BGEZ
Impact investing aims to generate social and environmental impact alongside financial returns. However, the exact definition and the concept itself are not always clear, which affects the use and potential of impact investing. In this article, the authors provide a way to understand the concept of impact investing and introduce critical questions to facilitate discussions regarding whether a case can be described as impact investing.
Comprehensive INGO accountability improves perceived effectiveness
Authors: Alice Hengevoss – University of Basel
Provided by: Scott Mcdonald from Root Capital
International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) have been under increased scrutiny from the public and academia. Critics argue that INGOs should be more accountable to various stakeholders, particularly to beneficiaries. Evidence shows that a more comprehensive approach to accountability can improve INGO performance. This paper analyses survey data of over 200 INGO leaders in 21 countries to develop a framework for comprehensive accountability. The framework identifies three accountability approaches, or logics: resource logic, outcome assessment logic, and discursive logic.\\
How socialization influences informal volunteering
Authors: Marlou Ramaekers – Radboud University | Ellen Verbakel – Radboud University | Gerbert Kraaykamp – Radboud University
Provided by: Katy Adams from the University of Heidelberg
Concerns have been raised over the potential decline of community life. This study discusses the impact of parents and current partners on behaviours during adulthood that foster social bonds. The study questions whether parents and partners modelling and encouraging prosocial behaviour affects adults‘ informal volunteering.
The rise of benefit corporations as the new form of firm altruism
Author: Livia Ventura | University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership | University of Geneva
Provided by: Theresa Gehringer from SKKG Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte
Over the past decade, companies have increasingly recognized the importance of achieving positive environmental and social impacts beyond generating profits. In response to civil society’s demands, new hybrid organizational forms such as the “benefit corporations” have emerged in the U.S. These corporations are characterized by a governance structure that incorporates altruism into the decision-making processes. As such, benefit corporations represent a new governance model that goes beyond philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. The voluntary inclusion of a “public benefit” for society and the environment in the corporate purpose is the main characteristic of such organizations.
Balancing financial and social goals in dual-purpose companies
Authors: Julie Battilana – Harvard University | Tomasz Obloj – HEC Paris | Anne-Claire Pache – ESSEC Business School | Metin Sengul – Boston College
Provided by: Ana Pimenta from Blink CV
There is a growing trend of companies attempting to balance financial and social goals simultaneously. However, they often face challenges because different stakeholders have different expectations. When these challenges become more intense, companies might prioritize one goal, which can lead to them losing their original mission or even going bankrupt. In this article, the authors explore the conditions that influence the intensity of the financial/social trade-offs experienced by dual-purpose companies.
Unraveling disintermediated giving
Author(s): Ian MacQuillin – Rogare – The Fundraising Think Tank | Rita Kottasz – Kingston Business School | Juniper Locilento – National Arts Centre Foundation | Neil Gallaiford – Stephen Thomas Ltd
Provided by: Mårten Palmefors from Giva Sverige, the Swedish Fundraising Association
Disintermediated giving, or giving to a cause without partly or fully using a middleman such as a charity organisation to reach the beneficiary, raises questions about practices, ethics, regulation and accountability. However, without a framework in place, addressing these questions in a structured manner becomes challenging. The study creates a typology of the main types of disintermediated giving and conducts a brief exploration of the ethical and regulatory issues within each one.
Cross-border tax and philanthropy
Author(s): Oonagh B. Breen – University College Dublin | Carolyn J. Cordery – Victoria University of Wellington
Provided by: Anne-Laure Paquot from Transnational Giving Europe
Over the past 20 years, the role and value of civil society has been increasingly recognized by the European institutions. Yet, obstacles continue to hamper the free movement of philanthropic capital across the European Union. Analysing the EU regulatory space, this paper examines what structural, policy and fiscal barriers affects cross-border tax-effective generosity, offering a ‘navigational map’ to overcome them.
A particular type of intervention
Author(s): Georg Mildenberger – Heidelberg University, Center for Social Investment | Gudrun-Christine Schimpf – Heidelberg University, Center for Social Investment |Jürgen Streicher – Joanneum Research, Institute for Economic, Social and Innovation Research
Provided by: Alina Porumb from the Association for the Practice of Transformation – Inspire Change.
The problems we are facing today, such as climate degradation, energy shortages, increasing inequality, and demographic change, require new approaches and far-reaching changes. Technology innovation can help address them, but we cannot rely on technology alone, we also need social innovation (SI) – new ideas, paths, and measures for dealing with society challenges – as a driver of society change. In comparison to technology assessments, research about the SI impacts is in its early stages. New concepts are needed to better record and evaluate SI effects, especially on the systemic and society level, and to develop standards for the assessment process.
Creating social innovation in urban development via collaborative processes
Author(s): Georg von Schnurbein – University of Basel | Oto Potluka – University of Basel | Anne Mayer – University of Basel
Provided by: Caroline Broadhurst from The Rank Foundation
The success factors that create effective social innovation in an urban context is contested with two different schools of thought and approaches; the systemic approach, which accounts for the social practices and subsequent changes as a result of the innovation; and the pragmatic approach, which follows a well-trodden planning process, which focuses on creating solutions to a defined social problem. What conditions enable successful social innovations to emerge from collaborative processes in urban development?
Who gives to food banks?
Author(s): Roger Bennett – Kingston University | Rohini Vijaygopal – Open University | Rita Kottasz – Kingston University
Provided by: Vuk Vukovic from KU Leuven
This study helps us understand why some people donate to food banks and why others do not. It is valuable for food bank managers who want to create effective promotional campaigns. The authors suggested that people’s own beliefs and their perception of food bank users are the key factors in deciding whether to donate.
Philanthropic foundations in the global policy arena
Author(s): Janis Petzinger – University of St. Andrews| Tobias Jung – University of St. Andrews | Kevin Orr – University of St. Andrews
Provided by: Raquel Campos Franco from Universidade Católica Portuguesa
This article offers a critical examination of how foundations shape global policy and introduces a theoretical framework to analyse their influence in this domain. The key question can be expressed as follows: ‘How do philanthropic foundations influence the global policy arena?’ The authors conclude that the work of foundations in the global policy arena, which is fluid but influential, dampens the influence of external. This should remind scholars of the relevance of exploring the potential promises and problems of philanthropy’s role in policy shaping.
How moral goodness drives unethical behaviour in NGOs
Author(s): Isabel de Bruin Cardoso – Erasmus University | Allison R. Russell – The University of Texas at Dallas | Muel Kaptein – Erasmus University | Lucas Meijs – Erasmus University
Provided by: Anna-Leah Gebühr from UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe e.V.
The objective of this article is to understand – through generating empirical evidence – how the NGO halo effect, i.e. the inflation of moral goodness in NGOs, can explain unethical behaviour. The key question of this article is whether people in NGOs glorify their mission, morals, and people, and if so, how this glorification can explain NGO unethical behaviour. The authors conclude that the NGO halo effect exists, that there are three mechanisms that can explain unethical behaviour.
Informal Place Leadership: A Challenge to Formal Political Leadership?
Author(s): Oto Potluka – University of Basel, Center for Philanthropy | Lenka Svecova – University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, School of Business | Lucie Zarubova – University of West Bohemia, Faculty of Economics
Provided by: Leigha McCarroll from Carleton University, Canada
In response to a growing trend of dissatisfaction with political representation (e.g., Brexit, the 2016 U.S. presidential election), there has been an increased focus on place-based approaches to political decision-making. In this article, the authors further investigate this dynamic in the context of the EU Cohesion Policy, analyzing the relationship between formal and informal leadership and politics to illuminate whether informal place leadership is filling the void created by growing dissatisfaction with formal political leadership.
Trends in forms of civic involvement in the Netherlands between 2008 and 2020
Author(s): Maikel Meijeren – Radboud University | Marcel Lubbers – Utrecht University | Peer Scheepers – Radboud University
Provided by: Aleksandra Belina from the University of Warsaw and Good Network Foundation
Dutch civil society is seen as exemplary due to its high level of civic involvement. The article shows how civic involvement (membership, donating money, participating in an organization, and volunteering) in the Netherlands has developed between 2008 and 2020. The study is based on high-quality survey data derived from the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences, a household panel aimed to represent the general Dutch population. The research question was: to what extent have forms of Dutch civic involvement in different organizations changed in the years 2008–2020?
NGO Resilience in Czech Republic during Ukrainian Refugee Crisis
Author(s): Tara Kolar Bryan – University of Tennessee at Knoxville | Monica Lea – University of Nebraska at Omaha | Vladimír Hyánek – Masaryk University
Provided by: Daria Rybalchenko from National Network of Local Philanthropy Development
The central topic of this paper is the resilience and governance challenges faced by NGOs in the Czech Republic during the Ukrainian refugee crisis that began in February 2022. The practical relevance lies in understanding how NGOs can maintain their operations and provide essential services amidst such a large-scale humanitarian crisis. The key research question is: How do NGO leaders perceive the resilience of their organizations in responding to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, and what challenges do they face?
Improving Grantmaking Through Relational Philanthropy
Author(s): Janis Petzinger and Tobias Jung, School of Business, University of St Andrews, Scotland
Provided by: Zeryihun Kassa from Kingston University
In their article “In Reciprocity, We Trust: Improving Grant-making through Relational Philanthropy,” Janis Petzinger and Tobias Jung present a compelling argument. They propose that embracing relational philanthropy, which emphasises trust-based relationships between grantors and grantees, can pave the way for more effective and empowering grant-making practices. This approach, they suggest, represents a promising departure from the current dominant model of philanthrocapitalism, which often relies on rationalist, market-based strategies and strict oversight of grant recipients.
Civil Society Organizations: Legitimizing the Common Good
Author(s): Liv Egholm – Copenhagen Business School | Liesbet Heyse – University of Groningen | Damien Mourey – École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay
Provided by: Silva Lässer from the Karl Kahane Foundation
The authors explore the concepts of legitimacy and accountability in the academic literature. Specifically, they discuss how these concepts relate to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and in what ways legitimacy is constructed, understood and represented in the Civil Society sector. The key research questions addressed are: (1) In what ways is legitimacy understood and negotiated within Civil Society Organisations? (2) Does the current research and literature from other domains translate to the Civil Society sector? (3) What are the gaps in the literature?
Are foundation investment funds a solution for sustainable investing at grant-making foundations?
Author(s): Berenike Wiener – Leuphana University | Georg von Schnurbein – University of Basel
Provided by: Ana Pimenta from Blink CV
Grant-making foundations use the financial returns on their investments to pursue their charitable purposes. Foundations are usually conservative in their investment strategies and separate their investments strategy (focus on financial returns) from their spending and mission (focus on purpose). Simultaneously, investments funds are offering Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) opportunities increasing the potential of foundations to generate a social benefit also through their investments. In this article, the authors explore the characteristics of the market for foundation investment funds in Germany and whether these funds are useful for foundations pursuing an SRI strategy.