Associations of Migrants in Spain: An Enquiry into Their Digital Inclusion in the “Network Society” in the 2010s Abstract This paper explores the way that associations of migrants in Spain (AMS) in the 2010 decade integrate into the Network Society by analyzing how they use information and communication technologies (ICTs), while looking at the potential implications of those technologies for fostering their social capital. To what extent are AMS using ICTs? To what degree is the use of those technologies improving their social capital? Original research of eighty-five associations of the largest migrant communities in Spain, i.e., Romanian, Moroccan, Ecuadorian, Colombian and Bolivian, in twenty-three municipalities in five Spanish regions, is presented here. The analysis focuses on the factors that influence the use of ICTs by AMS, such as the representatives’ technological skills, and on the relation that this use may have on their social capital, such as the construction of collaborative digital ecosystems that may positively enhance their ties with the host society.

Dennis R. Young et al.: Economics for Nonprofit Managers and Social Entrepreneurs

The Strategic Action Field of Sex Work and Sex Trafficking: A Case Study of a Contentious Field in Chicago Abstract This paper looks at organizations working on issues of sex work/sex trafficking in Chicago as a strategic action field (SAF): a space where actors engage in collective action with a shared understanding of the field’s purposes, rules, and norms. Through analysis of SAFs, scholars focus on how actors intersect, manifesting in a context that simultaneously allows for reproducing the status quo, as well as producing social change. Using qualitative interviews with members of this particular SAF in Chicago, I demonstrate how actors in the field use the SAF concept of social skill to control the policy field. The challenger organization in particular uses social skill to exploit exogenous shocks to their advantage, pursuing legitimacy through their alignment with human service nonprofits. This paper concludes with a consideration of the use of SAF theory to dynamic fields such as sex work/sex trafficking, conceptualizing how field-level social change may occur.

Bonding or Bridging? Volunteering Among the Members of Six Thriving Evangelical Congregations in the Netherlands Abstract The rise of conservative religion in the West threatens the enduring positive contribution of religion to civil society, if conservative churches, as often assumed, indeed generate more bonding than bridging social capital. Against this background, this study explores the civic engagement of evangelicals in the Netherlands. Two research questions are addressed: (1) To what extent are Dutch evangelicals more involved in religious than non-religious volunteering as compared to mainline Christians and non-church members? and (2) Which decisive factors determine the religious and non-religious volunteering of Dutch evangelicals as compared to mainline Christians and non-church members? Results show that these orthodox Christians are more involved in religious than in non-religious volunteering. Their religious volunteering is determined by their church attendance, Bible reading and social embeddedness in their congregation, while their non-religious volunteering is impeded by their mono-religious orientation and social embeddedness in their congregation and by the volunteering of their parents.

Accountability and Relationship-Definition Among Food Banks Partnerships Abstract Food pantries typically operate in a partnership structure where they are primarily supported by a larger food bank. However, the ability to execute that mission through cooperative arrangements greatly depends upon accountability, a key dynamic that ensures partners are fulfilling expectations and key roles. This exploratory study utilizes qualitative interview data (n = 61) from a large food bank network to understand the extent to which a lead agency (i.e., a large food bank) meets expectations of accountability among partners. The interview results demonstrate that the extent to which expectations are met relate to different types of relationships between the lead agency and partner members. Furthermore, the ways in which partners assess the strengths or weaknesses of the food bank’s accountability reveal different types of relationships within the network, namely that of supplier–customer, supporter–customer, and supporter–collaborator.

Investigating the Marketization of the Nonprofit Sector: A Comparative Case Study of Two Nonprofit Organizations Abstract It has been well documented in recent years that nonprofits are becoming increasingly marketized. What is less well understood from this body of research is the variation of marketization in the nonprofit sector and how it is made manifest in nonprofit organizations. This article aims to fill this gap in knowledge by recounting the results of a comparative case study of two nonprofits. We examine their marketization through a multifaceted theoretical framework that allows us to document the marketization comprehensively and to posit some preliminary explanations as to why this variation is occurring. Our findings indicate that one organization is adopting a strong entrepreneurial orientation while the other is integrating its traditional community orientation with more professionalization. The differentiation witnessed in the case organizations suggests that marketization is best understood as a situated process that may in part be explained by varying strategic responses to institutional pressures.

Between Collaboration and Subordination: State and Non-state Actors in Russian Anti-drug Policy Abstract Due to weak state and administrative capacity, the Russian government has involved resource-rich non-state actors into policy-making since about 2005 and established numerous institutionalized platforms, networks, and forums. These networks mainly emerge on regional and local levels and are designed to generate policy advice, implement decisions, and contribute to output legitimacy. A crucial question is how the authorities govern and regulate these bodies under the terms of a hybrid regime. The paper sheds light on why and how state authorities interact with non-state actors and unravels functions and flavors of governance networks in Russia. Drawing on the empirical results of case studies on anti-drug policy conducted in the regions Samara and St Petersburg, the paper reveals that state dominance within networks is a significant characteristic, although authorities rarely apply explicit ‘hard’ tools of government onto collaborations with non-state actors. The paper also allows for theorizing on the role of governance networks in a hybrid regime.

Connecting Two Sides: A Qualitative Study on Social Innovation Ventures and Poor Communities in an Emerging Economy Abstract The relationship between social innovation venture and poor communities has received little attention from studies in the area of social innovation. In order to clarify this relationship, our study seeks to answer: What strategies would help to bring social innovation ventures closer to poor communities? We developed an empirical and qualitative research in a social innovation venture and two poor beneficiary communities in Brazil. The results indicate that the proximity between those agents was based on five main items: (a) reputation of the social venture; (b) appropriate prices according to the community’s reality; (c) close relations with the community; (d) structure proximity; and (e) winning the community leadership’s trust. Thus, our study contributes to the literature by exploring the beneficiary communities and their relationship with social innovation ventures. In addition, we suggest the use of the term “social innovation venture” to designate a wide range of types of organizations willing to generate social innovation in the practical field.

How to Nail the Multiple Identities of an Organization? A Content Analysis of Projected Identity Abstract Multiple-identity organizations possess identity characteristics that belong to different and potentially conflicting value systems. How exactly these identities are projected in such an organization’s external communication has hardly been investigated. Here, we present a method that provides a systematic way to analyse the projected identity of multiple-identity organizations. A quantitative content analysis of the annual reports of a Dutch multiple-identity organization shows the presence of its utilitarian and ideological identity through the years 1998–2016. Results suggest that the relatively strong emphasis on the ideological identity of the organization is not in line with the identity perceived internally. Contextual knowledge about changes in the leadership, stakeholders’ demands, and the annual turnover provides a more thorough understanding of the research results. This study shows the volatility of identity, and it supports the presupposition that multiple-identity organizations are flexible in adapting their identity to changing circumstances.

Dynamic and Marketing Capabilities as Predictors of Social Enterprises’ Performance Abstract Social enterprises (SEs) have an increasingly important role in developing more equitable societies worldwide. The capabilities of SEs are an important driver of their performance, but research in this area is still emerging, and the link between capabilities and performance has yet to be examined. By drawing on the dynamic capabilities perspective, it is suggested in this study that absorptive capacity—an organization’s ability to absorb, assimilate, and apply knowledge—affects a SE’s performance indirectly via its marketing capabilities. Using data from Hong Kong and Taiwanese social enterprises (n = 109), a set of hypotheses related to the capabilities–performance linkage were tested. The results show that the marketing capabilities of SEs mediated the relationship between absorptive capacity and financial performance. However, absorptive capacity was not associated with improved social performance via marketing capabilities. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings and directions for future research.