Essays on the Economics of Non-profits and Philanthropy

Abstract

Often considered as a solution to market imperfections and State failures, the non-profit sector has been growing from the 1970s and has become an essential actor for the provision of the public good.
The expansion of this sector has contributed to intensifying the competition between non-profits on the market for funds, and this is not without consequences. On the one hand, this competitive environment has increased the need for efficient management of resources to prevent wastage and thus to ensure more impact of action. On the other hand, this intensive competition has also been conducive to non-profits adopting controversial behaviours. Among others, in return for additional funding, non-profits have been ready to: incur huge expenses in fundraising activities to increase their visibility; pretend to share the donors' preferences (although in fact they do not); or to accept donors' interference (intentional or not) in their core organizational activities, even if it undermines their own initiative. These types of responses from non-profits are likely to affect resource allocation and may thus change the expected outcome of funding and subsequently, the provision of the public good.
Because of such effects, this doctoral thesis mainly aims to analyse how this competitive context may indirectly affect the workings of the non-profit sector, the non-profits' actions as well as the evolution of philanthropy.

Date of Award	8 May 2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Namur
Supervisor	Gani Aldashev (Supervisor), Jean-Marie Cheffert (Supervisor), Jean-Marie BALAND (President), Marco Marini (Jury), Marthe Nyssens (Jury) & Eric TOULEMONDE (Jury)