Nonprofits and Civic Engagement

Bibliographic Data

ID6359701
AuthorsJeffrey M Berry (0000-0002-4850-6508, American Political Science Association, corresponding author)
Year2005
Volume65
Issue5
Pages568-578
Publication date2005-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePublic Administration Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-3352 • E-ISSN: 1540-6210
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1540-6210.2005.00484.x
OpenAlexW2151670005
LanguageEN
Citations received35
References cited10

There are approximately 800,000 501(c)(3) nonprofits large enough to register with the federal government. Add churches, foundations, and nonprofits too small to register, and the number is far higher than that. The potential for nonprofits to engage their clients and members in community affairs and public policy making is, in theory, enormous. Yet, perversely, nonprofits are regulated by the federal government in such a way that discourages the involvement of their followers in the public policymaking process. This is a problem, not simply because we social scientists believe civic engagement is a good thing, but because these regulatory standards sharply skew public participation. Although middle‐ and upper‐class individuals have many organizations that engage and mobilize them, nonprofits usually are the only organizations that work on behalf of the poor, those without health insurance, immigrants, the disabled, and most other marginalized constituencies. Put bluntly, federal law works against the participation of the most disadvantaged in society

Civic engagement · Disadvantaged · Government (linguistics · Immigration · Political science · Politics · Public policy · Public relations · Sociology · Law · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Public Administration · Religion, Society, and Development

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