Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Description: Many of us are teaching about the Third Sector in countries that see huge swings in regime ideologies – democratic regimes are toppled, and authoritarian governments installed; authoritarians are finally toppled, and democracy is re-installed. Even between regimes of similar ideologies, there may be vastly different policies on the role of the sector in service delivery and policy advocacy, and we have recently seen presidents elected who, once in office, move towards more authoritarian policies by suppressing any kind of criticism including from the Third Sector. As educators, we need to understand how we teach the history of these changes. We also may face direct challenges to our jobs and, in the most extreme of circumstances, to our personal physical safety. This seminar examines the Latin American context of teaching about the sector through regime changes. Three educators and researchers will discuss the impact of such changes in their country and in their own teaching, and how it might impact on our students as they prepare for future work in their communities. 

Bruna de Morais Holanda is a Ph.D. candidate in Public Administration and Government at the Getulio Vargas Foundation (EAESP FGV) and a Fulbright visiting researcher at the University at Albany (SUNY). Her main research interests are philanthropy and civil society-state relations. She is currently working on research projects related to the institutionalization process of philanthropy and civil society in Brazil and to collective impact. She is also a researcher at the Philanthropy Research Department of the José Luiz Egydio Setúbal Foundation (FJLES). 

Pablo Marsal Baraldi holds a BA in Institutional Organization and Management from Universidad Nacional de San Martín and a Master of Arts in Development Management and Policy from Georgetown University, specializing in civil society organizations and their relation with the state and the corporate sector. He has worked in coordinating and organizing institutional partnerships and strengthening networks at international institutions such as the W. K. Kellogg Foundation (at its Buenos Aires office), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and others. Pablo served as the Former Director of Amnesty International in Buenos Aires and has been the Chair of the Association of NGO Professionals in Argentina (AGODI). He has published several studies on international grants to Argentinean NGOs and civil society organizations at large. Pablo also teaches a course called “Policy and Management of NGOs” at the Department of Social Sciences at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and is the Coordinator of the university’s NGO Observatory. Since January 2022, Pablo has been serving as the in-charge of the ISTR Latin American monthly bulletin. He was elected to ISTR’s Board in January 2023. 

Matthew Bird is an Associate Professor at the Universidad del Pacífico in Lima, Peru. His research seeks to design and evaluate innovative interventions that better harvest local solutions to solve social challenges. Areas of focus include the leveraging of digital technologies and behavioral insights. He also consults for the public, non-profit, and private sector in Latin America advising on how to address social change and impact evaluation challenges. He received his Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Chicago and has been a visiting scholar with the Global Poverty Research Center at Northwestern University and the Latin American Center at Oxford University. Prior to joining Universidad del Pacífico, he served as Research Director for the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University. His research has been funded by grants from the Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, National Science Foundation, Fulbright-Hays, USAID, Citi Foundation, and Innovations for Poverty Action. 

Moderator John Casey is a Professor in the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College, City University of New York. Prior to his ac ademic career, John held various executive positions in government and nonprofits in Australia, Spain, and the USA. The focus of his research work is advocacy by nonprofits and government-nonprofit relations around the world. He is the autho  of The Nonprofit World: Civil Society and Rise of the Nonprofit Sector. His publications are available at:  http://tinyurl.com/JohnCaseyPublications

Organized By - ISTR’s Teaching and Learning Affinity Group: Conceptualized at ISTR’s Amsterdam Conference in 2018, the Teaching and Learning Affinity group is a forum for educators, researchers, and professionals to exchange knowledge, ideas, resources, and network to advance teaching and learning in the third sector. The affinity group is open and free for anyone interested in networking with a community of academics and practitioners advancing the field of third-sector education. We organize events (e.g. webinars) and meetings (including in-person meetings at ISTR), publish newsletters, and share information/resources via our listserv. Please stay connected to learn more about our programs. You can find more about the group here: https://www.istr.org/page/TeachingLearning

For Questions: Please contact Kaushal Sapkota, Doctoral Student at the University of Oregon at kaushals@uoregon.edu if you have any questions related to the event and/or ISTR’s Teaching and Learning Affinity Group.

• Casey, J. (2016). Comparing nonprofit sectors around the world: What do we know and how do we know it? Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, 6(3).  [Link]
• de Morais Holanda, B., Kim, H., & Appe, S. (2023). Comparative Civil Society and Third Sector Research in Voluntas. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 34(6), 1122-1133.  [Link]
• Keck, M. E., & Sikkink, K. (1998). Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics. Cornell University Press.  [Link]
• Marsal Baraldi, P. (2023). [Review of the book Beyond the Boomerang: From Transnational Advocacy Networks to Transcalar Advocacy in International Politics by C.L. Pallas & S. Appe]. Nonprofit Policy Forum (No. 0), pp. 1-6.  [Link]
• Mendez, J. & Peralta, R. (2015). Universidad y Dictadura. El terro en los claustros. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires.  [Link]
• Pallas, C. L. & Bloodgood, E. (2022). Beyond the Boomerang: From Transnational Advocacy Networks to Transcalar Advocacy in International Politics. University of Alabama Press.  [Link]

Chair: Fengshi Wu, University of New South Wales, Australia  

Dana R.H. Doan  Doctoral Candidate, Indiana University - Indianapolis Lilly Family School 

Pham Truong Son,  President, Southern Nonprofit Organization Communityof Philanthropy

Wendy Conway-Lamb, Researcher and PhD Candidate, Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, University of Canberra

Discussant: Mark Sidel is Doyle-Bascom Professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Presentations:

The state of education, training, and research on the nonprofit and philanthropic sector in Vietnam

Dana and Son will provide highlights from an on-going analysis of preliminary research on the existing philanthropy infrastructure in Vietnam. This study focuses on resources accessible inside Vietnam. Included in our study is an examination of government policies and support programs pertaining to the nonprofit and philanthropic sector; relevant academic courses and programs; academic and gray area literature on the sector; and other tools, and resources supporting social purpose organizations and initiatives in Vietnam. We will also invite webinar participants and co-presenters to offer country comparisons and contribute ideas to advance this study. (  Research team: Dana RH Doan, Pham Truong Son, Nguyen Hoang Bao Chi, and Nguyen Thi Lan Thanh)

How much influence can civil society have in the governance of climate change adaptation in Vietnam?

Wendy Conway-Lamb presents empirical analysis based on interviews with multiple actors involved in Vietnam's efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change, including domestic and international, government and non-government stakeholders. Wendy identifies a variety of different forms of influence and accountability flowing across this 'deliberative system' and discusses what implications these findings may have for civil society and international actors working to support adaptation in this and other climate-vulnerable developing countries and emerging economies.