In February 2026, I had the privilege of spending 23 days in residence at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in Bellagio, overlooking Lake Como. The Bellagio Residency Program brings together scholars, policymakers, artists, and practitioners from around the world to work on complex global challenges while engaging in sustained interdisciplinary dialogue.

During the residency, I worked on a research project examining the intersection between information disorder and democratic policymaking. The goal of this work is to better understand how misinformation, disinformation, and algorithmically amplified content affect public institutions' capacity to design and implement evidence-informed policies.

The project seeks to contribute to three interconnected debates. First, it develops a conceptual framework linking information disorder and evidence-based policymaking, highlighting how distorted information environments can disrupt the institutional processes through which evidence is produced, interpreted, and used in policy decisions. Second, it explores ways to empirically observe the institutional effects of information disorder, particularly in policy domains such as public health and climate governance. Third, the work examines the normative boundary between democratic dissensus and democratic erosion, asking how democratic systems can preserve pluralism and contestation while protecting the integrity of public knowledge.

For scholars working on civil society and the third sector, the implications of this research are significant. Civil society organizations play a crucial role in mediating information flows, promoting scientific literacy, and defending democratic accountability in increasingly complex information ecosystems. Understanding how information disorder reshapes these dynamics is essential for strengthening democratic governance.

The Bellagio residency offered an ideal environment for advancing this work. The program’s unique structure encourages deep intellectual exchange among residents from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. Over the course of the month, conversations with scientists, technologists, public health experts, and social innovators helped refine key elements of the project and opened new avenues for interdisciplinary collaboration.

The residency allowed substantial progress on the conceptual framework and the preparation of policy-oriented outputs that will inform ongoing research collaborations and upcoming publications. More broadly, the experience reaffirmed the importance of cross-sector and cross-disciplinary dialogue in addressing the governance challenges posed by emerging digital and informational infrastructures.

The Bellagio Center remains a remarkable space where ideas, perspectives, and experiences converge. For researchers concerned with the future of democracy, civil society, and public knowledge, such spaces for reflection and collaboration are more important than ever. 

• "Rooted in Community: The Infrastructure Powering Collective Giving"
  
  Report published by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Philanthropy Together
  
  Authors: Adriana Loson‑Ceballos, Ph.D. & Michael D. Layton, Ph.D.
  
  This capstone publication is the third and final report in a multi‑year research effort examining how collective giving mobilize community assets and strengthen civic infrastructure.

• "Community Foundations and Civic Trust in Latin America" 
  
  Alliance Magazine
  
  Co‑authors: Felipe Bogotá, Paula Jaime, Michael D. Layton, Ph.D.
  
  This essay describes how Latin American community foundations—working amid inequality and weak institutions—build legitimacy through reciprocity, proximity, and their respect for longstanding cultural practices such as minga and tequio.

• "Defining Community Philanthropy: Principles and Dimensions of a Transformative Practice" (to be published soon) 
  
  The Foundation Review
  
  Author: Michael D. Layton, Ph.D.
  
  This article introduces a framework of five principles and seven dimensions that clarify how community philanthropy redistributes power through community‑rooted decision‑making, accountability, and resource mobilization.

These works together provide essential grounding for the ISTR 2026 Pre‑Conference Workshop, Pivotal Times, Shared Possibilities: A Conversation on the Concept and Practice of Community Philanthropy, an interactive session for researchers, practitioners, funders, and pracademics to explore global trends and advance collaborative learning in community‑led philanthropy.

The Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) also announces The Data Science Exchange, designed to connect Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs) with data scientists who can help them make better use of the data they already collect. 

Many Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs) collect large amounts of data, yet much of it remains underused. The Data Science Exchange (DSE), is designed to address this gap. By enabling this collaboration, DSE supports stronger planning, improves programs, and helps organisations create greater impact. It also creates opportunities for learning, collaboration, and knowledge sharing across the community.

Pilot collaborations are already underway. Early engagements have helped organisations identify key data gaps and better understand where to focus their resources. As DSE grows, it aims to build a stronger bridge between the social sector and the data science community.
Interested in getting the support needed to use data better, or keen to help SPOs work with their data? Sign up for DSE here: dse.isdm.org.in

Co-Conveners are requested for the following groups:

• Critical perspectives
• Social Innovation and Impact
• Law and Regulation
• Sustainability

Please contact ISTR Secretariat for more information

Subject
Inequality, cohesion and modernization

Abstract

This article seeks to facilitate future development of theory and empirical research about Asian nonprofits by examining published knowledge accumulated over 60 years of scholarly research on nonprofits across Central, East, South, Southeast, and West Asia. Our systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of 2,188 articles published in English peer-reviewed journals from 1958 to 2022 reveals that while there is evidence of knowledge integration with mainstream nonprofit and NGO studies, Asian nonprofit research has evolved as a distinct field with significant country- and region-level variations in research scale and trends, research topics shaped by region-specific phenomena, available data that affect scholars’ choices of research methods, and theoretical development and application. These findings suggest both the advances and challenges associated with future Asia-focused nonprofit research, particularly emphasizing the importance of conducting comparative studies. The article discusses directions to advance Asian nonprofit research and implications for general nonprofit research.

The State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR) stands as the United Nations’ flagship publication, offering deep insights into the power and impact of volunteerism in shaping our world. It highlights volunteerism’s universality, its vast scope, and its far-reaching influence in the twenty-first century. The upcoming 2026 edition, titled “Volunteerism and its Measurements” live on December 5, 2025, takes a bold step forward and offers the most comprehensive analysis yet of the global scale and impact of volunteer work.

Award Citation

The committee is pleased to present the 2025 UMD Do Good Institute & ARNOVA Global Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership Award to Dr. Tamaki Onishi and her colleagues for their project, “Contextualization Approach: Reframing Nonprofit and Philanthropy Research with Insights from Asia.”

This project introduces “contextualization” as a systematic approach to reshape comparative nonprofit research. The committee applauds the project’s ambitious scope and collaborative nature, engaging a multilingual team of scholars from many Asian countries and regions. Methodologically, we are impressed by the innovative research design that analyzes local-language scholarship to uncover distinct research topics and theories and develops a grounded typology of local nonprofit concepts in Asia. By centering local knowledge and challenging dominant Western-based scholarly paradigms, this research project promises to make a significant contribution to developing more inclusive and globally relevant theories of civil society.

Project Members

• Hui Li
• Shiqi Peng 
• Yongdong Shen 
• Lili Wang
• Zobayer Ahmed
• Nasir Uddin
• Yu Ishida
• Aya Okada
• Tamaki Onishi
• KC Dipendra
• Seongho An 
• Bok Jeong
• Dana R.H. Doan
• Bao Chi NGUYEN
• Lan Thanh NGUYEN
• Jose Chen
• Meng-Han Ho
• Alisa Moldavanova
• Moosa Elayah
• Marthen Ronalt Bebena
• Selman Salim Kesgin

Citation & access
Ardin, A., & Irving, M. (2025). The Islamist Labeling of Muslim CSOs: A Critical Examination of Stereotypes about Muslims and Islam in a Public Agency in Sweden. Islamophobia Studies Journal, 9(1). DOI: 10.13169/islastudj.9.1.0006. The issue is open access via Pluto Journals/ScienceOpen.

The book Beyond Market Meritocracy investigates how employers evaluate and treat male and female employees with varied family care responsibilities in three different labor regimes of Chinese societies—the neoliberal Hong Kong market under a productivist welfare system, the market-driven private sector of mainland China struggling with the post-COVID-19 economic decline, and the state-supervised public sector of mainland China with socialist legacies. Through extensive and empirical data, it uniquely enriches the existing literature by examining the rationales of employers in the comparisons of different types of family caregivers and noncaregivers and of different labor regimes in China. While previous studies on family caregivers’ dilemmas in the labor market often focus on the incompatibility of family care duties with the capitalist market meritocracy, this book identifies four schemes of rationales among employers in the three labor regimes of China: a market meritocracy of competence, competitiveness, and efficiency; a moral virtuocracy of family care and responsibilities; a cultural schema of gendered division of labor; and structural resources and constraints embedded in labor protection and family welfare policies. The four schemes sometimes corroborate but sometimes contradict one another in different employment contexts, based on which employers construct their evaluations of family caregivers in the labor market. The multiplicity of employers’ rationales demonstrates how their attitudes and practices go beyond merely calculating the market merits of family caregivers and sheds new light on the complexity in the relationships between workplace organization and labor rights and future directions for work and family policy programs. 

Nonprofits are turning to consultants for everything from executive recruitment to strategic planning. This study does more than chart the trend - it hands you concrete, practical guidance that speaks to the key players in the ecosystem:

🎯 Nonprofit Managers – How to assess fit, ROI, and ensure mission‑alignment.
🎯 Boards & Organizations – Best‑practice frameworks for governance, engagement, and success measurement.
🎯 Consultants (new niche) – Strategies for positioning, fee transparency, and building trust with mission‑driven clients. 

(Click the title to download the dissertation) 

Author: Merrill Sovner, CUNY Graduate CenterFollow

Date of Degree
9-2025

Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy

Program
Political Science

Advisor
Julie George

Committee Members
Janet Elise Johnson
Heath Brown
Katherine Chen
Cristina Balboa

Subject Categories
Comparative Politics | Eastern European Studies | Nonprofit Studies | Organization Development | Politics and Social Change | Work, Economy and Organizations

Keywords
Democratic erosion, civil society, nonprofit organizations, Czechia, Hungary, Bulgaria

Abstract
In order for civil society organizations (CSOs) to perform essential functions to support democracy and prevent democratic erosion, they must operate sustainably, maintaining resources and legitimacy to carry out their missions. CSOs experience financial and political pressures when resources and legitimacy are withdrawn. CSOs facing both pressures may reduce their activities, replace lost funding, or reframe their work to engage new audiences. How CSOs respond in the face of financial and political pressures has implications for their role in hindering democratic erosion. Yet civil society organizations weather these pressures in ways that are not straightforward; the most targeted organizations may not depoliticize but in fact grow stronger, while organizations that lose significant funding may not close but adapt. What factors lead CSOs to respond in different ways? What do CSOs need to be resilient and sustainable in the face of financial and political pressures?

This dissertation examines the factors that contribute to CSOs’ responses to financial and political pressures. CSOs obtain resources and legitimacy from their environments and may experience the loss of funding and legitimacy to different degrees. However, environmental conditions or the extent of lost resources and legitimacy do not, on their own, explain CSO responses. Instead, responses also depend on CSOs’ willingness and ability to adapt, as determined by four attributes intrinsic to each organization: their mission and identity, their governance and staff structure, their leaders’ openness to alternative approaches, and their leaders’ ability to communicate with different audiences.

I develop theory on organizational responses to pressures through quantitative and qualitative analysis of a sample of CSOs in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Bulgaria that faced political pressures and funding withdrawal between 2010 and 2019. Through descriptive statistics and identifying patterns across fifteen organizational profiles, I find that CSOs with reserves of resources and legitimacy were most likely to replace lost funding and bounce back from political and financial pressures, while CSOs without such reserves were more likely to reduce staff and expenditures or reframe their work to find new bases of legitimacy. CSOs exhibiting more of the attributes that allow flexibility were able to adapt and reframe when faced with repeated setbacks.

This dissertation makes several original contributions. By synthesizing literatures across disciplines, I develop a comprehensive theoretical framework that brings resources, legitimacy, and organizational attributes together to understand civil society resilience and sustainability, building on concepts in organizational theory, nonprofit management, and international development. It shows how organizational analysis can contribute to understanding civil society’s role in hindering democratic erosion. Finally, it provides practitioners with guidance in how to better support CSOs experiencing financial and political pressures.

Recommended Citation
Sovner, Merrill, "Reduce, Replace, Reframe: How Civil Society Organizations Build Resilience in the Face of Financial and Political Pressures" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6399

The International Summit on Sustainability and Environmental Innovation, organized by the CAR (Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca), has become one of the most significant forums in Latin America for dialogue on sustainable development, ecological innovation, and the strengthening of social capital through environmental responsibility. Its 2025 edition brought together more than 34,000 participants, with the presence of 40 invited countries, 14 international panels, and the involvement of 761 institutions from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

In this context, Universidad Anáhuac México was represented by Susana Islas (M.A.), Lilian I. Jaimes Herrera (M.B.A.), and Víctor Martín Fiorino (Ph.D.), who were selected from more than 3,000 submissions to present both a conference and an academic poster entitled:

“Sustainability and Innovation Practices: The Case Study of Huerto Roma Verde, Mexico City – Mexico.”

This recognition underscores the significance of their research and its contribution to strengthening the third sector, advancing social innovation, and promoting sustainable urban regeneration, in alignment with global challenges of sustainability and civic engagement.

Steven Rathgeb Smith Receives the 2025 APSA Frank J. Goodnow Award

In recognition of his distinguished career and exemplary leadership as Executive Director of the American Political Science Association (APSA), Steven Rathgeb Smith, ISTR Past President, has been awarded the 2025 Frank J. Goodnow Award. Established by the APSA Council in 1996, the Goodnow Award honors individuals, groups, and organizations for exceptional contributions to the discipline of political science and to the development of APSA itself.

Steve Smith led APSA for 11 years, guiding more than 11,000 members across over 100 countries through a period of significant challenges and transformation. His leadership not only sustained the Association during difficult times but also laid the groundwork for its continued success. He strengthened APSA’s financial foundation, provided strategic direction rooted in mission-driven priorities, and implemented key governance reforms.

Under his leadership, APSA advanced its commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion; broadened scholarly participation in the Annual Meeting; and expanded initiatives focused on teaching, learning, mentoring, and professional development. Steve also played a critical role in building coalitions with other leaders in the political science community.

His tenure was marked by deep knowledge of nonprofits, along with thoughtfulness, patience, and a steadfast commitment to the collective good. The 2025 Frank J. Goodnow Award reflects the respect and appreciation he has earned from his colleagues.