Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
Title	Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
Discipline	Philanthropy; Civil society; Third sector studies
Language	English
Abbreviation	NVSQ
Publisher	SAGE Publications
Country	United States
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1972–present
Issn	0899-7640
Eissn	1552-7395

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, and civil society. It publishes empirical studies, theoretical analyses, and policy-relevant work that intersects with nonprofit management, social movements, welfare provision, and international development. The journal attracts contributions from scholars affiliated with universities, research institutes, and policy centers worldwide.

History

The journal was established in 1972 amid rising scholarly attention to nonprofit studies linked to institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and Columbia University. Early contributors included faculty from Indiana University Bloomington, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University who engaged with debates associated with organizations like the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, and Rockefeller Foundation. Over subsequent decades the journal reflected the influence of research programs at London School of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, Cornell University, and University of Michigan, and documented shifts related to global events such as the Cold War, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, and the expansion of the European Union. Editors and advisory board members have had affiliations with centers like the Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, OECD, and United Nations Development Programme, linking the journal to policy networks including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Scope and Content

The journal's scope includes studies of philanthropic practice grounded in casework from organizations such as Gates Foundation, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), and analyses of volunteerism involving groups like Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Habitat for Humanity. It publishes comparative research featuring countries like United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, India, Brazil, and South Africa. Theoretical contributions draw on scholarship involving thinkers affiliated with institutions such as Princeton University, Yale University, University of Chicago, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Interdisciplinary intersections appear with research programs at Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, European University Institute, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Publication and Editorial Practices

Published quarterly by SAGE Publications, the journal follows peer-review practices common to journals associated with scholarly societies like American Political Science Association, American Sociological Association, and Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. Editorial offices have included scholars connected to Michigan State University, University of Toronto, National University of Singapore, and University of Melbourne. The editorial process involves external reviewers from institutions such as Columbia Law School, Georgetown University, Duke University, Northwestern University, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Special issues have been guest-edited in collaboration with research centers including Carnegie Mellon University, London School of Economics and Political Science, Sciences Po, and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major services such as Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and ProQuest, and appears in databases maintained by organizations like JSTOR, Taylor & Francis Group, and Google Scholar. It is listed in citation resources alongside journals from publishers like Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell, and Cambridge University Press. Libraries of universities including New York University, University of Edinburgh, University of Sydney, University of Cape Town, and Peking University provide access through consortia such as OCLC, JISC, and CARL.

Impact and Reception

Scholars cite the journal in debates intersecting with public policy documents from agencies like UNICEF, World Health Organization, United Nations, and United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), as well as in reports by NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Transparency International. Its articles have informed curricula at programs including Harvard Kennedy School, London School of Economics, Tsinghua University, and Sciences Po. Citation metrics place the journal among peer titles alongside Voluntas, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Nonprofit Management and Leadership, and Social Forces. Reviews in venues like Times Higher Education and commentary in outlets linked to The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed reflect its standing in academic and practitioner communities.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

The journal has published influential articles on topics such as nonprofit governance, philanthropy and inequality, volunteer labor markets, and civil society responses to crises. Notable pieces have engaged with cases involving Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Syrian refugee crisis, and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Special issues have focused on themes connected to the Sustainable Development Goals, social innovation featured at forums like Skoll World Forum, and cross-national comparisons drawing on datasets maintained by the World Values Survey and International Social Survey Programme.

Related Organizations and Conferences

The journal maintains ties with scholarly and practitioner networks including the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), the International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR), and foundations such as Rockefeller Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Conferences and symposia associated with its community convene at venues like Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, European Consortium for Political Research, and regional gatherings hosted by institutions such as University of Manchester, McGill University, and University of Cape Town.

Category:Academic journals