Declining State Capacity, Voluntarism, and the Globalization of the Not-for-Profit Sector

Abstract

Since the 1970s, a profound shift has taken place in the roles of the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. In the wake of fiscal crisis, ideological attacks, and privatization, the scope and capacity of governments has declined. A growing global not-for-profit sector has emerged, which has begun to fill the humanitarian vacuum left by the corporate sector and the nation-state. Changes have been profound, raising new issues about the role and future of voluntarism in a world where governments retreat from their social welfare responsibilities and where the solutions to global poverty continue to elude us. This article explores the rapid growth and internationalization of the NGO sector and addresses why the rapid growth of this sector is taking place, the structural forms this process is taking, and what future structural forms may emerge. In addition, the author analyzes issues that arise as the NGO sector globalizes, and discusses recommendations for constructive roles for policy makers and the northern international not-for-profit sector for promoting global voluntarism in the future.