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The Non-Profit Industrial Complex: Between the Market and the State

Explore the complex role of non-profit organizations within capitalist societies, examining their history, structures, and impact on social justice and inequality. Analyze their intersections with markets and governments, and assess how funding models and practices influence their goals. Consider the possibilities for reimagining the non-profit sector to foster meaningful social change.

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  • 21 and older
  • $335
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  • Online Classroom
  • 12 hours over 4 sessions

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  • $335/person
  • 12 hours over 4 sessions
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  • Tue, Apr 08 at 6:30pm - 9:30pm
  • Tue, Apr 15 at 6:30pm - 9:30pm
  • Tue, Apr 22 at 6:30pm - 9:30pm
  • Tue, Apr 29 at 6:30pm - 9:30pm
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Class Description

Description

What you'll learn in this literature class:

How exactly should we understand the layer of “non-profit” institutions that proliferate in many capitalist societies, existing somewhere between the formal worlds of business and government? What are the possibilities  of such organizations, and how has philanthropy developed over the course of the 20th century to structure and shape them? What role do non-profits play in capitalist society? Today, in the 21st century, the “non-profit sector” is a large, heterogeneous field, consisting of groups engaged in efforts ranging from social services to culture dissemination, from hospitals to symphony orchestras, soup kitchens to environmental organizations. This sector has been called by many names: charitable organizations, civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, the third sector, the independent sector, the social sector, social purpose organizations, and so on. However, a near ubiquitous constant is a belief in the common good and the importance of civic engagement. But what are we to make of the increasing intertwinement of non-profit, public, and business domains? Is it possible to conceive “doing good” as free of interest and independent from structural forces?

In this course, students will explore the fraught boundaries between the market, the state, and non-profit organizations. We will delve into the history, rise, and transformation of “religious, charitable, scientific, or educational” organizations, as per IRS classification, amid the shifts in welfare policies, governmental policy, and the growth of social inequality. We will consider the links between major philanthropic giving and political dissent to examine the role of the former in sometimes preventing and sometimes articulating protest and collective action. We will then scrutinize standard practices cultivated within contemporary non-profit organizations and how they shape service delivery, advocacy initiatives, and social movement strategies. Finally, we will assess the possibilities of redesigning and imaging the non-profit model as well as other avenues for social change. Throughout the course, we will ask: what actually is a non-profit organization? Is there a single non-profit culture? What is the connection between the apparently contradictory trends of rising numbers of non-profit organizations and the simultaneous rise of social ills? What is the relationship between the non-profit model and democracy? Can non-profits be seen as a sort of soft power? What is the place of non-profit organizations in the persistent inequalities between Global North and Global South? Is it possible to speak of a “non-profit industrial complex?” If so, what is the relevance of such a complex to both champions and critics of capitalism? Do the practices and, in particular, the funding incentives characteristic of the non-profit model affect the pace and scope of social justice initiatives? In addition to case studies and some campaigns, analyses by Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Robert L. Allen, Annelise Riles, Margaret E. Keck & Kathryn Sikkink, among others, may be considered.

Remote Learning

This course is available for "remote" learning and will be available to anyone with access to an internet device with a microphone (this includes most models of computers, tablets). Classes will take place with a "Live" instructor at the date/times listed below.

Upon registration, the instructor will send along additional information about how to log-on and participate in the class.

Refund Policy

  • Upon request, we will refund less 5% cancellation fee of a course up until 6 business days before its start date.
  • Students who withdraw after that point but before the first class are entitled to 75% refund or full course credit.
  • After the first class: 50% refund or 75% course credit.
  • No refunds or credits will be given after the second class.

In any event where a customer wants to cancel their enrollment and is eligible for a full refund, a 5% processing fee will be deducted from the refund amount.

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