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Keynotes

ERNOP 2017 Conference Keynote Speakers

Theme of the ERNOP conference 2017 will be The Changing Face of Philanthropy? Philanthropy in an era of hybridity and alternative forms of organizing.

Classic donations from individuals, foundations and commercial enterprises give way to hybrid forms of philanthropy. A distinction between giving and receiving organizations, and foundation and commercial enterprise is no longer easily made. Hosted by the Center for Civil Society Studies at the Department of Business and Politics, Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, the conference will gather scholars from various disciplines sharing a motivation to discuss the answers on questions of today’s philanthropy and generate new questions about the philanthropy of tomorrow.

In order to address the diversification of the how of philanthropy, the ERNOP board is pleased to present the keynote speakers that will share their experience and knowledge at the upcoming conference. We look forward to be inspired by them and to a lively discussion with the audience.

Helmut Anheier : The face of European philanthropy

Professor of Sociology Helmut K. Anheier is President and Dean at the Hertie School of Governance (Germany). He also holds a chair of sociology at Heidelberg University and serves as Academic Director of the Centre for Social Investment. As an academic, Helmut Anheier provided us with one of the international standards for classifying non-profit goals. But, what’s more, his contribution to understanding the role of philanthropy and (European) foundations gave valuable insights to the academic community.

In his keynote speech at the ERNOP conference, Helmut Anheier will adress the intriguing topic of differences in global philanthropy. Is there such a thing as European philanthropy? What makes a foundation an European one? If we can say that European philanthropy exists, how does it differ from other philanthropy traditions across the globe? And what perspectives for European philanthropy in the future?

Sarah Smith: A changing face of philanthropy?

Sarah Smith is Professor of Economics at the University of Bristol (United Kingdom). Her research interests are in applied micro – specifically consumer behaviour and public economics and her main focus is the economics of not-for-profit organisations. She has been working with a number of charity organisations to understand what motivates individuals to give and how donations respond to different (economic and non-economic) incentives.  Recently, she carried out work on behavioural change related to bequest giving and the effect of larger donations on subsequent pledges. She also carried out excellent work on long-term trends in giving.

At the ERNOP conference in Copenhagen, Sarah Smith will provide us with knowledge based on her research on trends in giving. What prove is there for changes in giving behavior?

Flemming Besenbacher: The Danish model for Industrial Foundations: business and philanthropy hand in hand

Flemming Besenbacher is an outstanding academic, Chairman of the board of the Carlsberg Foundation and Chairman of the Supervisory board of Carlsberg A/S (Denmark). The Carlsberg Foundation is one of the world’s oldest commercial foundations. Next to being the principal shareholder of the worlds thirds largest brewery, it also supports visionary and innovative international basic research within the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.

Flemming Besenbacher will adress the audience by elaborating on the place foundation owned companies take in the spectrum of philanthropy and self-interest, and the potential of such hybrid models for the future.