POLS 355-000: Nonprofits and Politics (Fall 2012)

"Nonprofits are not political actors." Not true, and in this course we will challenge the claim that nonprofits are apolitical organizations in society. Through case studies, books, films, journal articles, and guest speakers, and a particular focus on metropolitan areas (cities and suburbs), we will determine the ways in which the nonprofit sector has and continues to organize communities for political action, foster citizen participation, promote social responsibility, influence local elections, inform public policy, and critique government decisions. Our review of the political acts of nonprofits will cover political parties, churches, philanthropic foundations, think tanks, and social service providers, as well as a few others, exploring how these nonprofit institutions affect public policy debates in metropolitan areas (e.g., welfare reform and public school reform). Our main concern is to identify how the nonprofit sector affects politics and governance in American cities, especially big cities. Key topics will include trust and altruism; public good and collective responsibility; church and state relations; social movements; and government-nonprofit interdependence at the municipal level.