The Politics of Foundations

This new volume presents a systematic and comparative analysis of the current and future role of foundations in Europe and beyond. While cross-national studies of business firms, government agencies and service-providing nonprofit organizations are increasingly becoming available, little is known, in a systematic way, about the challenges foundations are facing. This book therefore includes a mapping and appraisal of foundation visions, policies and strategies, and an overall assessment of the current and future policy environment in which they operate. It goes beyond a quantitative profile of foundations in Europe, and probes deeper into their role and contributions in meeting the economic, cultural, environmental and educational needs of European societies. Developed from an international research project, this study includes twenty country studies comparing foundations in Europe, the Europe Union and the US. This valuable reference will be of interest to researchers and students of foundations, policy-making, comparative politics and international business, as well as to policy-makers and professionals.