Philanthropic giving : studies in varieties and goals /

Recent years have seen a resurgence of the study of philanthropy that has matched the national fervor for voluntarism and emphasis on the private sector. Two centers for such study are the Independent Sector, whose work is represented by Robert Payton's Philanthropy: Voluntary Action for the Public Good (1988), and the Program on Non-Profit Organizations at Yale University's Institution for Social and Policy Studies. The latter is producing studies such as this one. Many of the volume's 18 essays are working papers from staff or grantees of the program. Others are written by scholars of philanthropy who give insights from more extended research. The essays provide up-to-date research on the origins of giving, the methods of conducting charity, and the consequences of the philanthropic tradition. For the scholars of philanthropy, this is an invaluable collection; together, the essays create a stimulating introduction to the field. The volume should be in every major library and available to readers planning to become involved formally with philanthropy, either as a significant giver or as an advocate of giving. -J. H. Smith, Wake Forest University