Comparative Philanthropy

We are currently engaged in a number of projects based around this theme.

Measuring Philanthropy

There is a paucity of accurate descriptive statistics on the extent, sources and distribution of philanthropic giving in most countries of the world. This is true even for the UK where registered charities make returns annually to regulatory authorities such as the Charities Commission for England and Wales. This project aims to overcome some of the most basic measurement problems by developing and implementing a charitable sector-wide model of philanthropic revenues, expenditures, reserves and financial flows. This will enable more accurate estimates to be made, for example, of charitable spending from different sources, contemporary and historically legated through philanthropic foundations.

Key researchers:

Alison Gibson, Charles Harvey

A Taxonomy of Strategic Philanthropy

Much of the prior research on philanthropy from a range of fields has focussed on its strategic use by US philanthropic foundations in promoting and conserving American interests across the globe. Departing from this, the project proposes an alternate taxonomy of strategic philanthropy. It will draw on archival work and available secondary sources. It will mark out the differences within modern philanthropy in India, between modern philanthropy in India and the US, and among established philanthropy and the ‘New Age’ philanthropy. The objective is to propose a taxonomy of strategic philanthropy, which will provide a conceptual vocabulary with which to research and evaluate non-US centric philanthropy.

Key researchers:

Arun Kumar, Charles Harvey