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4 - What Makes Good Nonprofit Sector Theory?

from Part I - Overviews

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2024

By
Eva Witesman
Edited by
Eva Witesman  and
Curtis Child
Eva Witesman
Affiliation:
Brigham Young University, Utah
Curtis Child
Affiliation:
Brigham Young University, Utah
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Summary

This chapter explores the nature of nonprofit-sector theory. To do this, we first examine what we theory, and what we mean by nonprofit-sector theory. We also propose a framework for evaluating what makes good nonprofit-sector theory, based on the function of theory (define, describe, explain, prescribe, predict, and evaluate) and the theory's depth, breadth, and relevance. For this volume, we have taken a broad and inclusive approach to nonprofit-sector theory, defining it as answering the questions, “What is the nonprofit sector?” and “Why does the nonprofit sector exist?”

Keywords

nonprofit-sector theorytheorytheorizinggood theorynonprofit theorynonprofitnonprofit sector
Type
Chapter
Information
Reimagining Nonprofits
Sector Theory in the Twenty-First Century
 , pp. 71 - 88
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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