Just Another Emperor? by Michael Edwards

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Business involvement in philanthropy is increasing day by day, but is it a blessing, a curse, or somewhere in between? 'Just Another Emperor? The Myths and Realities of Philanthrocapitalism' takes a comprehensive and critical look at this vital new phenomenon. The movement in the nonprofit world to make charities more like businesses and create new markets for goods and services that benefit society has been nicknamed "philanthrocapitalism."

There is no doubt that this is an important phenomenon. Very large sums of money have been generated for philanthropy, particularly in the finance and IT industries. Michael Edwards argues that despite its great potential, this movement is oversold in both its proposed means and its promised ends because it sees business methods as the answer to social problems, but offers little rigorous evidence or analysis to support this claim, and ignores strong evidence pointing in the opposite direction.

Just Another Emperor? looks at the rise of major new philanthropic funds and actors, and asks if they represent a genuinely new kind of philanthropy. Just Another Emperor? examines the evidence for applying business models in the social sector, and makes a series of recommnedations on how they could best contribute to lasting social change.

Michael Edwards is a widely respected author of books and articles on civil society, including Civil Society and Future Positive: International Cooperation in the 21st Century, which was nominated for the Chadwick Alger Prize for best book on international affairs. Dr. Edwards is currently the director of the Governance and Civil Society Program at the Ford Foundation, though he has written Just Another Emperor? in his personal capacity. From 1998-1999, he was the Senior Civil Society Specialist at the World Bank. Prior to that, he spent fifteen years as a manager in international relief and development NGO's, including Oxfam-UK and Save the Children-UK.

Robert B. Reich, Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berekeley says of 'Just Another Emperor?':

"In this important and insightful book, Michael Edwards lays bare the mythologies surrounding philanthropy and shows it to be exactly what it is - an essential part of our capitalist system, with all the flaws and foibles found elsewhere - good at what it does best but bad at what it's sometimes expected to do. Anyone who wants the truth of philanthropy in America should read this book."