Editor’s Note for Issue 10(2)

I cheerfully begin this note with the good news that Nonprofit Policy Forum (NPF) has been accepted into SCOPUS, the leading citation index for peer-reviewed journals. This is a great honor for the journal, culminating a decade of achievement since its founding, and a recognition of the hard work of our editorial board, financial sponsors, staff, and our many authors and reviewers. Our inclusion in SCOPUS is also a signal to prospective and current authors, readers and sponsors that we publish research and analysis of the highest quality in the field of nonprofit organizations and public policy, in an open access format universally available to all.

The present issue illustrates the range and quality of articles that we have come to expect from NPF. Margaret Harris and Carl Milofsky lead with a paper that examines nonprofit organizations as mediating structures that can be helpful in addressing contemporary threats to democracy. The authors offer examples of how four different types of such mediating organizations work in practice: those that link individuals and grassroots community activities to governmental agencies, public policy makers and national nongovernmental agencies; those that resist external control from the state or other mediating organizations; those that enable a focus on the common good rather than special interests; and those that frame a culture which tolerates diverse viewpoints, builds shared values, facilitates social ties, builds trust and encourages broader civil engagement. The authors show how such mediating institutions can help democracies maintain their coherence and integrity, in light of the debilitating contemporary forces that now undermine democracy in many countries around the world.

The second paper, by Marcus Lam and Nathan Grasse, examines how Medicaid expansion under the 2010 Affordable Care Act has affected the financial viability of nonprofit community health centers (CHCs) in the United States. The fact that Medicaid expansion was accepted in some states but not others, offers a natural experiment with which to analyze this issue. The analysis shows that CHCs in states enrolled in the program experienced higher financial margins than those in nonparticipating states. More broadly the analysis highlights an important link not only between government funding and nonprofit financial health, but also the impact of contextual variables such as local poverty that can jeopardize a CHC’s economic viability.

The third paper, by Alan Abramson and Kara Billings, recognizes that social enterprises have become important vehicles for addressing social problems, but that current public policy infrastructure is inadequate for supporting their effectiveness. Problems include ill-fitting legal forms, obstacles to effective governance, problems in evaluating impact, weak supportive networks, difficulties in raising funds, and management tensions and conflicts. Based on a careful reading of the literature, the authors identify several important avenues for future research.

The fourth paper, by Bill Cleveland, offers a fascinating historical tale of how intense conflict between United Way and major health charities over participation in federated fundraising campaigns directly and indirectly influenced the way charities are regulated in the United States. Fall out from this conflict includes the widespread application of fund raising efficiency ratios and the development of uniform accounting standards for charities, as well as the persistence of competition in the fundraising arena.

The fifth paper, by Isabella Nolte, examines the system of international development aid through a case study of international NGOs and their local affiliates in Myanmar. Nolte finds that the partnerships between international and local organizations are unbalanced, favoring the shorter term project goals of the former over the latter’s longer term aspirations for resilience and self-sustainability. These findings suggest a rethinking of policy and strategies for deploying aid to developing countries.

This issue concludes with a book review essay by John Tyler of Robert Reich’s 2018 book, Just Giving: Why Philanthropy is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better. Tyler is critical of several of the book’s arguments about the nature of philanthropy and its impacts on democracy. Prof. Reich has promised to respond in a forthcoming issue of Nonprofit Policy Forum.

Please enjoy this issue, and consider submitting your own contributions to Nonprofit Policy Forum.

Thank you.

Dennis R. Young, Editor