The Palgrave Handbook of Volunteering, Civic Participation, and Nonprofit Associations

Robert A Stebbins editor Jurgen Grotz editor David Horton Smith editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Palgrave Macmillan

Published:29th Jan '16

Currently unavailable, our supplier has not provided us a restock date

The Palgrave Handbook of Volunteering, Civic Participation, and Nonprofit Associations cover

Written by over 200 leading experts from over seventy countries, this handbook provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of the latest theory and research on volunteering, civic participation and nonprofit membership associations. The first handbook on the subject to be truly multinational and interdisciplinary in its authorship, it represents a major milestone for the discipline. Each chapter follows a rigorous theoretical structure examining definitions, historical background, key analytical issues, usable knowledge, and future trends and required research. The nine parts of the handbook cover the historical and conceptual background of the discipline; special types of volunteering; the major activity areas of volunteering and associations; influences on volunteering and association participation; the internal structures of associations; the internal processes of associations; the external environments of associations; the scope and impacts of volunteering and associations; and conclusions and future prospects.

This handbook provides an essential reference work for third-sector research and practice, including a valuable glossary of terms defining over eighty key concepts. Sponsored by the International Council of Voluntarism, Civil Society, and Social Economy Researcher Associations (ICSERA; www.icsera.org), it will appeal to scholars, policymakers and practitioners, and helps to define the emergent academic discipline of voluntaristics.


“The one word that summarizes this book is: Ambitious. Ambitious in the scope of issues covered ranging from physiological correlates of volunteering to volunteering in consumer and service cooperatives: Ambitious in its interdisciplinary and multinational scope. Individual articles provide succinct summaries and have comprehensive bibliographies. The book is an excellent summation of what is known in 2017 and an important guide for researchers, pracademics and practitioners. It is a critical reference for both the novice and the expert.” (Susan M. Chambre,Voluntas, Vol. 29 (1), 2018)

“What makes the analysis of this vast and varied data effective is that questions and responses dictate the frame of the chapter. This is helpful for both students and other researchers being introduced to the field for the first time. The chapters in this text are rich, but leave the reader with a desire to learn more.” (Beth Oppenheim, Voluntas, Vol. 22 (2), 2018)

ISBN: 9781137263162

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

1414 pages

1st ed. 2016