Alongside public agencies and private firms, non‐profit organizations (NPOs) play a vital role in the delivery of human services in a number of advanced nations. The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Alongside public agencies and private firms, non‐profit organizations (NPOs) play a vital role in the delivery of human services in a number of advanced nations. The purpose of this paper is to advance a theory of leadership to try to explain how NPOs can overcome the various forms of voluntary sector failure described by Salamon.
Design/methodology/approach
Examines the conditions under which leadership style is likely to prevail and the influence they are likely to have on the direction of local government reform.
Findings
Advances a theory of leadership to better understand this problem and its implications for public policy.
Originality/value
Adds to existing literature by demonstrating that leadership can ameliorate some kinds of voluntary sector failure.
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Contrasting approaches to the economic modelling of churches areexamined. The proposal that churches should be modelled as collectiveaction groups, rather than wealth maximising…
Abstract
Contrasting approaches to the economic modelling of churches are examined. The proposal that churches should be modelled as collective action groups, rather than wealth maximising firms is expounded, with particular focus on the way the two approaches treat church products, finances and externalities. The main implications arising from modelling churches as collective action groups are summarised.
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At present no satisfactory economic theory of non‐profit organizational leadership exists. The purpose of this paper is to develop an economic theory of non‐profit leadership and…
Abstract
Purpose
At present no satisfactory economic theory of non‐profit organizational leadership exists. The purpose of this paper is to develop an economic theory of non‐profit leadership and apply this theory to the problem of non‐profit failure or “voluntary sector failure.”
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on the economic literature on the non‐profit sector to critically examine this approach to theorizing about non‐profit organizations (NPOs). It then considers the contribution that Lester Salamon has made to the understanding of NPOs. It is argued that the very sources of non‐profit “distinctiveness” identified by Salamon are also simultaneously associated with “voluntary sector failure.” An economic theory of non‐profit leadership is developed and it is held that appropriate leadership can reduce voluntary failure.
Findings
The major comparative advantages of NPOs make these agencies particularly prone to various forms of “voluntary failure” that present challenges not only to NPOs, but also public policy makers. This paper presents a theory of non‐profit leadership that seeks to demonstrate that appropriate forms of non‐profit leadership can overcome, or at least ameliorate, voluntary failure.
Research limitations/implications
Future research could determine empirically whether leadership plays a decisive role in the performance of the non‐profit sector. This would assist in assessing the empirical validity of the presented in this paper.
Originality/value
The literature on non‐profit failure is incomplete without an adequate theory of non‐profit leadership. This paper develops a theory of non‐profit organizational leadership and argues that appropriate leadership can reduce the extent and severity of non‐profit failure.
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Joe Wallis, Paul Killerby and Brian Dollery
This paper evaluates key developments in the social capital literature over the past decade. It then examines empirical work on the purported the link between social capital and…
Abstract
This paper evaluates key developments in the social capital literature over the past decade. It then examines empirical work on the purported the link between social capital and economic performance. Although these results indicate that good governance and social cohesion make a measurable contribution to economic development, the offer little guidance for policy formulation. Early contributors to the social capital field were pessimistic about the ability of the state to stimulate social capital formation. More recently, there has been a groundswell of interest in the application of community development principles to foster social capital at the micro level. This paper incorporates a critical evaluation of the mainstream social capital literature from a social economics perspective. The various strands within the social economics tradition share a common concern with the “disembedding” of social context from mainstream economics.
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Charles Wolf′s theory of government failure ignores the possibilitythat government employees may commit themselves to pursue excellence inpublic service as an expression of their…
Abstract
Charles Wolf′s theory of government failure ignores the possibility that government employees may commit themselves to pursue excellence in public service as an expression of their hope in the quests of their agencies. Communitarian thought explains the function of hope in human motivation and intimates how leaders may influence the hopes of their followers and why followers submit to this leadership. Effective leadership can be assigned a role in the execution of public policy which counters the pursuit of private interest in the public domain so that the problems identified by Wolf can be identified not as an inevitable consequence of government intervention but as a manifestation of “leadership failure”.
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Clem Tisdell is one of Australia’s pre‐eminent economists who has made decisive contributions in several areas of economics, perhaps most notably development economics…
Abstract
Clem Tisdell is one of Australia’s pre‐eminent economists who has made decisive contributions in several areas of economics, perhaps most notably development economics, environmental economics and natural resource economics. Tisdell is presently Professor of Economics at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and is also a long‐standing member of the editorial advisory board of the International Journal of Social Economics. This interview, which falls in the tradition of Klamer, was recorded in his Brisbane home in November 1995 and seeks to explore Tisdell’s extraordinary career, the development of his thinking about economics in general and his prodigious research output in particular. Tisdell answered the questions in his customary quietly‐spoken and good‐humoured manner.
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Liying Xia, Jianbo Zhang and Xuelin Ma
With the rising of “religious fever” in China rural area, the authors inquire the reason why it happened. First, the authors explore the group characteristics which could affect…
Abstract
With the rising of “religious fever” in China rural area, the authors inquire the reason why it happened. First, the authors explore the group characteristics which could affect both happiness and the religion belief of Chinese rural elderly. The authors analyze the micro-data of “thousand village surveys” data of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics by using Order Logit and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method. These results show that when the elderly people have the following features related to health such as: feeling psychological loneliness, not obtaining the good management of chronic disease in the village, and not being participated in new rural cooperative medical system are more likely to believe in religious in the rural areas. And the authors also find these Chinese rural elderlies who believe in religion are less happy than atheism elderly actually (by PSM). Believing in religion is not the solution and maybe the way these elderly resorts to when they encounter health problem.
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Joe Bogue, Thérèse Coleman and Douglas Sorenson
The objectives of this study were: to investigate Irish consumers' attitudes to diet, health and health‐enhancing foods; to determine Irish consumers' knowledge and awareness of…
Abstract
Purpose
The objectives of this study were: to investigate Irish consumers' attitudes to diet, health and health‐enhancing foods; to determine Irish consumers' knowledge and awareness of the health benefits of health‐enhancing foods; to examine the health‐related factors perceived to be most important in food choice; and to examine the relationships between attitudes, beliefs and dietary behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 340 questionnaires were distributed to consumers using a multi‐stage cluster‐sampling technique.
Findings
The key variables that accounted for the variation in dietary behaviour were attitudes to healthy food behaviours, perceived influence of diet on health, and nutrition knowledge. Differences were observed between attitudes and awareness of health‐enhancing foods across gender, age and social grouping.
Research limitations/implications
The results and conclusions of this research are derived from a study conducted in Dublin only and, therefore, it is not possible to generalise about the Irish population from these results. It would prove beneficial to conduct further consumer research on determinants of consumers' dietary behaviour for health‐enhancing foods at different urban and rural centres in Ireland, as well as across European states for a cross‐cultural perspective.
Practical implications
Market segmentation, accompanied by appropriate carefully targeted educational messages, and addressing the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of the target group can help to close the gap between actual and healthful diets for the entire population.
Originality/value
This research can assist health policy makers implement promotional strategies to improve the nutritional status of at‐risk groups while supporting efforts by the food industry in identifying appropriate marketing strategies within the healthy foods sector.
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Kunio Shirahada and Yixin Zhang
This study aims to identify the counterproductive knowledge behavior (CKB) of volunteers in nonprofit organizations and its influencing factors, based on the theories of planned…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the counterproductive knowledge behavior (CKB) of volunteers in nonprofit organizations and its influencing factors, based on the theories of planned behavior and well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was used to collect 496 valid responses. A structural equation model was constructed, and the relationships among the constructs were estimated via the maximum likelihood method. To analyze the direct and indirect effects, 2,000 bootstrapping runs were conducted. A Kruskal-Wallis test was also conducted to analyze the relationship between the variables.
Findings
A combination of organizational factors and individual attitudes and perceptions can be used to explain CKB. Insecurity about knowledge sharing had the greatest impact on CKB. A competitive organizational norm induced CKB while a knowledge-sharing organizational norm did not have a significant impact. Further, the more self-determined the volunteer activity was, the more the CKB was suppressed. However, well-being did not have a significant direct effect. Volunteers with high levels of well-being and self-determination had significantly lower levels of insecurity about knowledge sharing compared to those who did not.
Practical implications
Well-being arising from volunteering did not directly suppress CKB. To improve organizational efficiency by reducing CKB, nonprofit organization managers should provide intrinsically motivating tasks and interact with the volunteers.
Originality/value
There is a lack of empirical research on CKB in volunteer organizations; therefore, the authors propose a new approach to knowledge management in volunteer activities.
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While a number of scholars have observed that the contemporary self has to negotiate a “push and pull” between autonomy and a desire for community (Austin & Gagne, 2008; Bauman…
Abstract
Purpose
While a number of scholars have observed that the contemporary self has to negotiate a “push and pull” between autonomy and a desire for community (Austin & Gagne, 2008; Bauman, 2001a, p. 60; Coles, 2008; Giddens, 2003, p. 46, the struggle between the “self” and “others” that is at the heart of symbolic interactionist (SI) understandings of the self is often missing from sociological discussion on the “making of the self” (Coles, 2008, p. 21; Holstein & Gubrium, 2000), and the current chapter contributes to this literature.
Design/methodology/approach
To gain insight into “the making of the self,” in-depth life history interviews were conducted with 23 former members of new religious movements (NRMs) specific to their construction of self. Interview data was analyzed for variations in the ways in which individuals describe their construction of self. To make sense of these variations, SI understandings of the self are applied.
Findings
Analysis indicates that the extent to which individuals are informed by the social versus the personal in their self-construction is a continuum. From an SI perspective the self is conceptualized as to varying degrees informed by both the personal and the social. These two “domains” of the self are interrelated or connected through an ongoing process of reflexivity that links internal experiences and external feedback. From this perspective, “healthy” selves reflexively balance a sense of personal uniqueness against a sense of belonging and social connectedness. While a reflexive balance between the “self” and “others” is optimal, not everyone negotiates this balance successfully, and the extent to which individuals are informed by the social versus the personal in their self-construction varies and can be conceptualized as on a continuum between autonomy and social connectedness. The current findings suggest that where individuals are positioned on this continuum is dependent on the availability of cultural and personal resources from which individuals can construct selves, in particular in childhood. Those participants who described themselves as highly dependent on others report childhood histories of control, whereas those who described themselves as disconnected from others report histories of abuse and neglect.
Research limitations
The problems of relying on retrospective accounts of former members should be noted as such accounts are interpretive and influenced by the respondents’ present situation. However, despite their retrospective and constructionist nature, life history narratives provide meaningful insights into the actual process of self and identity construction. The analysis of retrospective accounts is a commonly recommended and chosen method for the study of the self (Davidman & Greil, 2007; Diniz-Pereira, 2008).
Social implications/originality/value
The current findings suggest that significant differences may exist in the way in which individuals construct and narrate their sense of self, in particular in regards to the way in which they experience and negotiate contemporary tensions between social connectedness and individuality. In particular, the findings highlight the importance of childhood environments for the construction of “healthy” selves that can negotiate contemporary demands of autonomy as well as social connectedness.