Reconciling Theory and Context in Comparative Nonprofit Research
- 12 February 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
- Vol. 51 (1), 5-30
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764021989445
Abstract
The article reviews a family of multilevel models that can be used to build general theories of the nonprofit sector that are still sensitive to variations in context. The comparative study of the nonprofit (or nongovernmental) sector presents formidable challenges to social scientists who are attempting to advance theory on the sector. Ostensibly, the goal is to model and test theories that are generalizable. Yet, as scholars study topics such as volunteerism, donations, governance, management, advocacy, accountability, and the like in different political, economic, and cultural contexts, they often find different patterns across cases. After reviewing the issues and introducing the idea that time (or more specifically events) can be thought of as context as well, we present an analytical approach for doing comparative research using the framework of hierarchical linear modeling.Keywords
This publication has 77 references indexed in Scilit:
- Testing for Measurement Equivalence in SurveysPublic Opinion Quarterly, 2013
- Punctuated GenerosityAdministrative Science Quarterly, 2013
- Comparative Analyses of Public Attitudes Toward Immigrants and Immigration Using Multinational Survey Data: A Review of Theories and ResearchAnnual Review of Sociology, 2010
- Growth in women's political representation: A longitudinal exploration of democracy, electoral system and gender quotasEuropean Journal of Political Research, 2009
- Sorrow and Solidarity: Why Americans Volunteered for 9/11 Relief EffortsSocial Problems, 2008
- The Radius of Trust: Religion, Social Embeddedness and Trust in StrangersSocial Forces, 2007
- Association Memberships and Generalized Trust: A Multilevel Model Across 31 CountriesSocial Forces, 2007
- Careers Inside Organizations: A Comparative Study of Promotion Determination in Reforming ChinaSocial Forces, 2001
- The Social Control of Impersonal TrustAmerican Journal of Sociology, 1987
- Sequences of Social Events: Concepts and Methods for the Analysis of Order in Social ProcessesHistorical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History, 1983