Abstract
Philanthropic foundations have bloomed since the 1990s, contributing to the expansion of third sectors worldwide. This research aims to contribute to the comparative analysis of the policy conditions that shape the development – size and structure – of foundation fields across countries. A framework for comparative policy analysis encompassing key dimensions of policy support – policy milestones, levers, and alternatives – is proposed and applied to five southwestern European countries. Results demonstrate that although Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, and Portugal have been traditionally clustered under the same corporatist foundation model, their foundation fields vary widely in terms of size, structure and institutional embeddedness.
Acknowledgments
The author wishes to thank Iris Geva-May and Nadia Rubaii from the JCPA & ICPA-Forum, John Casey from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs of Baruch College, and the two reviewers for their valuable comments on earlier versions of this article, first presented at the 15th Annual JCPA and ICPA Forum Workshop in 2017. Furthermore, she thanks Anker Brink Lund for his encouragement to study foundations in southern Europe from a regional comparative perspective, on the occasion of her visiting research at CBS Center for Civil Society Studies in 2017.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Marta Rey-Garcia
Marta Rey-Garcia is an Associate Professor in the School of Economics and Business of the University of Coruña (Spain). Her research on foundations has been published in peer-reviewed journals. Her professional background is in foundation management and board positions. She was principal investigator of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Analysis of Foundations (INAEF).