Envoi: Developing Nonprofit Theory
- 1 January 1987
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Voluntary Action Research
- Vol. 16 (1-2) , 134-148
- https://doi.org/10.1177/089976408701600111
Abstract
The essays in this volume point to the need for reconstruction and further develop ment of theories about the role of nonprofit institutions in the contemporary welfare state. This epilogue reflects upon the implications of this challenge by examining what it means to develop "theory" and some of the practical difficulties involved in this task. Acknowledging that "theory" may mean different things to different peo ple, scholars and practitioners alike, it discusses the different types, functions, and evaluative criteria of theory. Recognizing that the area of nonprofit studies is a relatively new area of intellectual inquiry, it suggests a number of distinctions and needs that are relevant to future theoretical development in regard to better under standing and prescribing roles for nonprofit institutions in our society.Keywords
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