# Philanthropy in Democratic Societies: History, Institutions, Values

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/books/philanthropy-in-democratic-societies-history-institutions-values/
- Published: 2016-12-11T09:27:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Philanthropy is everywhere. In 2013, in the United States alone, some $330 billion
was recorded in giving, from large donations by the wealthy all the way down to 
informal giving circles. We tend to think of philanthropy as unequivocally good,
but as the contributors to this book show, philanthropy is also an exercise of power.
And like all forms of power, especially in a democratic society, it deserves scrutiny.
Yet it rarely has been given serious attention.

This book fills that gap, bringing together expert philosophers, sociologists, political
scientists, historians, and legal scholars to ask fundamental and pressing questions
about philanthropy’s role in democratic societies.
The contributors balance empirical
and normative approaches, exploring both the roles philanthropy has actually played
in societies and the roles it should play.

They ask a multitude of questions:

 * When is philanthropy good or bad for democracy?
 * How does, and should, philanthropic power interact with expectations of equal
   citizenship and democratic political voice?
 * What makes the exercise of philanthropic power legitimate?
 * What forms of private activity in the public interest should democracy promote,
   and what forms should it resist?

Examining these and many other topics, the contributors offer a vital assessment
of philanthropy at a time when its power to affect public outcomes has never been
greater. 

## Table of contents

Acknowledgments
IntroductionIntroduction / Philanthropy in Democratic SocietiesRob
Reich, Lucy Bernholz, and Chiara Cordelli**Part I: Origins**One / Altruism and the
Origins of Nonprofit PhilanthropyJonathan LevyTwo / Why Is the History of Philanthropy
Not a Part of American History?Olivier ZunzThree / On the Role of Foundations in
DemocraciesRob Reich**Part II: Institutional Forms**Four / Contributory or Disruptive:
Do New Forms of Philanthropy Erode Democracy?Aaron Horvath and Walter W. PowellFive/
Reconciling Corporate Social Responsibility and Profitability: Guidelines for the
Conscientious ManagerPaul BrestSix / When Is Philanthropy? How the Tax Code’s Answer
to This Question Has Given Rise to the Growth of Donor-Advised Funds and Why It’s
a ProblemRay D. MadoffSeven / Creating Digital Civil Society: The Digital Public
Library of AmericaLucy Bernholz**Part III: Moral Grounds and Limits**Eight / The
Free-Provider Problem: Private Provision of Public ResponsibilitiesEric BeerbohmNine/
Philanthropy and Democratic IdealsRyan PevnickTen / Reparative Justice and the Moral
Limits of Discretionary PhilanthropyChiara CordelliNotesBibliographyList of ContributorsIndex
[](https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo23530413.html#)