Growing Civil Society
From Nonprofit Sector to Third Space
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Indiana University Press
Published:3rd Sep '08
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
A call to strengthen the social fabric through community action
Growing Civil Society investigates the role of voluntary action and nonprofit organization in contemporary America. Key to the book is the concept of "third space," which provides an important tool for the construction of civil society. The third space is not independent from society's major institutions, but exists in dynamic interdependence with them, linking individuals in their home bases of family and community to the larger governmental and economic structures within which all citizens, workers, and consumers learn to find their way in modern society.
This book investigates the role of voluntary action and nonprofit organization in contemporary America. It notes that society contains four sectors – governmental, market, family and nonproft – and argues that the concept of a 'third space' is a more useful way of conceptualizing the area of society that is occupied by nonprofits as well as many individuals and organizations that come together to work for the common good. Van Til is a respected commentator on nonprofit and philanthropic issues and he notes in the preface to this paperback edition that this book has been ten years in gestation. He offers a rounded review of third sector activity, including successes and limitations. But ultimately the author is a champion of his focus of study, arguing that the third space is crucial because it has the potential to be a wellspring for rebuilding a troubled society in an age of rapid change and turbulence.
-- Beth Breeze * Philanthropy UK NwslISBN: 9780253220479
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 435g
264 pages