Nonprofits as Policy Solutions to the Burden of Government

Chapter 1 – Purpose, Policy, Theory, Definitions and Context

Purpose

The public policy issues that motivate this book exist in many countries and levels of government: public services that are needed but are not necessarily charitable; governments strapped both in financial resources and in capacity; the unfavorable public response to increasing the size of government or its intrusion; the reluctance of the public to increase taxes or to enter into public debt to pay for these urgent public needs, the stark choice of postponing them—as in the case of infrastructure and environmental investments—or simply making them dormant in the public policy agenda or doing with inferior substitutes. Can the nonprofit offer a way out? What is the supporting ...