Reinventing Civil Society: The Emerging Role of Faith-Based Organizations

Public debate on the appropriate role of faith-based organizations in the American political system has been extensive, and often quite heated, but accurate assessments of their impacts on key political issues has been difficult, due to a lack of reliable data on what FBOs do and how they do it. Reinventing Civil Society fills that need. It reviews and assesses what is known about the public service activities of FBOs, and poses and tests opposing models of faith-based service provision in the public sphere. The book focuses on the degree to which there is collaboration among and between faith-based and community organizations, other non-profits, and/or the government in providing services. It considers the possibility that FBOs can become integrated into governing regimes in the civil society, and finds that service provision serves as an entree to the political system for all types of non-profits, including FBOs, and that collaborative networks are critically important in both the provision of services and in their political roles. Reinventing Civil Society is generously illustrated with maps, tables, diagrams, and a chronology of key legislative events. A detailed Appendix of research methodological notes provides a useful "road map" for students, scholars, and policymakers. Selected Contents: List of Tables, Figures, and Appendices Preface Part I. Introduction 1. Faith-Based Nonprofits and the Civil Society 2. Nonprofit Housing Provision: Themes and Arguments 3. Understanding the Policy Role of Faith-Based Nonprofits 4. Mapping the Civil Society: Methods and Data Part II. A Question of Capacity: The Debate on the Role and Effectiveness of the Nonprofit Sector 5. Federal Programs and the Michigan Housing Network 6. Structure and Capacity of Housing Nonprofits Part III. Empirical Findings on the Role and Effectiveness of the Nonprofit Sector in Michigan 7. Housing Provision: Context by Sectors and Trends Over Time 8. Scope and Extent of Broader Community Involvement and Trends over Time Part IV. Impacts and Implications 9. Collaborations and Partnerships: Networks for Housing Service Delivery 10. Nature and Types of Collaboration 11. Political Activity and Policy Involvement 12. Nonprofits, Service Provision, and Governing the Civil Society Appendix A. Methodology Appendix Appendix B. Supplemental Tables, Figure, and Map Index About the Authors