The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund Awards Doctoral Grants 7/9/2004
From: Winnifred Levy of the Aspen Institute, 202-736-5814 or winnifred.levy@aspeninstitute.org WASHINGTON, July 9 -- On what basis should nonprofit, international aid organizations divide up their scarce resources? What attitudes toward the global poor should these private international assistance agencies seek to instill in donors? These questions will be addressed in a new study by Jennifer Rubenstein of the University of Chicago that was recently funded by the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund (NSRF) of the Aspen Institute. Rubenstein is one of six students pursuing doctorate degrees who were recently awarded grants through NSRF's program of support for doctoral dissertations that focus on nonprofit issues. In "Just Samaritans?: The Ethics of Private Humanitarian Aid," Jennifer Rubenstein argues that "non-governmental," humanitarian organizations, such as Oxfam, engage in "governmental" activities when they represent large constituencies, allocate scarce resources, manage the distribution of harms, and mediate among culturally diverse populations. However, while there are ways to assess how well conventional governments undertake these activities, we lack analogous tools for evaluating the work of private aid organizations. Rubenstein's study, for which she was awarded a $15,000 grant, will explore: the "representation" work that aid organizations are engaged in (e.g., representing aid recipients to donors and vice versa); issues of fairness in the distribution of humanitarian aid; justifications for humanitarian harms (e.g., aid can abet oppressive regimes); and how diverse groups - including donors and aid recipients - can live together in a global society. In her study, "Trust, Consumerism, and Racial Disparities in Health Care," Lisa Gary of Yale University asks the question: Do nonprofit health organizations and the physicians in these organizations promote environments of racial fairness, trustworthiness, and consumer self advocacy? Gary, who was awarded $10,000, will use both quantitative and qualitative methods to assess: the relationship between beliefs about racial fairness in nonprofit health organizations and trust; and racial differences in health care experiences in nonprofit health organizations compared to for-profit health organizations. Doctoral grants were also awarded to the following students: -- Michelle Camou, University of Colorado, will receive $10,000 for her study, "Managing Conflicts without Contracts: Achieving Economic Justice in the Informal Economy." Camou's project will examine the emergence and effectiveness of new governance strategies aimed at stopping the exploitation of low- income people who work in informal urban economies in Baltimore, Denver, and Guadalajara, Mexico. To do so, the researcher will observe economic justice organizations and conduct in-depth interviews with informal workers and the nonprofit organizations assisting them. Developing recommendations for improving existing models of governance is a major goal of this project. -- Abby Stoddard, New York University, was awarded $15,000 to examine the international community of humanitarian organizations and its role in government policy-making in complex emergencies. Her study, "The Humanitarian NGO Community and its Policy Influence in Complex Political Emergencies," will focus on NGOs' informal role as ground-level information sources and technical advisers of governments, and how information from NGOs impacts policy decisions. Using case illustrations of recent humanitarian crises, the study will attempt to show how the information and organizational interests of these nongovernmental actors helped shape the international - and particularly the U.S. - response to crises. -- Yue Shang, University of Pennsylvania, was awarded $17,208 for her study, "The Impact of Social Comparison on Nonprofit Fundraising." This research will examine psychological factors that affect charitable behavior. In particular, the researcher is interested in how social comparisons affect philanthropic activity; that is, how donors are affected by comparison information about other contributors. As part of her project, Shang will conduct field research in two public radio stations and one religious organization. -- David Suarez, Stanford University, was awarded $10,000 to investigate the activities of human rights organizations in Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua. His study, "Programs and Services in Human Rights Organizations," will examine how human rights organizations assess their programs, how they deal with monitoring and oversight, and how funding patterns influence programs. The findings should be of particular interest to foundations and other contributors to human rights organizations who are concerned about nonprofit accountability. ------ The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund awards research grants and convenes leaders to expand knowledge of the nonprofit sector and philanthropy, improve nonprofit practices, and inform public policy related to nonprofits. As part of its research grant- making program, NSRF supports doctoral dissertation research focused on philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, including hospitals, universities, human service agencies, arts organizations, advocacy groups, and other tax-exempt entities. The Research Fund is an initiative of the Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program of the Aspen Institute. The Aspen Institute is an international non-profit organization founded in 1950. Its mission is to foster enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues. Through seminars, policy programs, conferences, and leadership development initiatives, the Institute and its international partners seek to promote the pursuit of common ground and deeper understanding in a nonpartisan and non-ideological setting. The Institute is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Its international network includes partner Aspen Institutes in Berlin, Rome, Lyon, Tokyo, and New Delhi, and leadership programs in Africa and Central America. | |