February 8, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
NEW BOOKS
Taking Philanthropy Seriously: Beyond Noble Intentions to Responsible Giving
edited by William Damon and Susan Verducci
“Philanthropy, like medicine and other professional activities, is a powerful intervention,” writes William Damon, a professor of education at Stanford University. “It can and does change lives.”
The Hippocratic Oath requires doctors to swear, “I will use my regimens for the benefits of the sick in accordance with my ability and my judgment; but from what is to their harm I will keep them.”
This collection of essays argues that, unlike doctors, philanthropists do not have firm guidelines or strategies to inform their giving and minimize “harmful” unintended consequences.
Contributors to the volume describe the philanthropic landscape, its challenges and hidden obstacles, and prescribe methods for responsible, effective, and well-managed philanthropy.
Rob Reich, assistant professor of political science at Stanford University, examines the relationship between liberty, equality, and philanthropy, and describes one case where “philanthropy can be causally implicated in the worsening of an inequality”: tax subsidies for private donations to local education foundations, which raise money for public education.
As might be expected, rich districts tend to raise much more money per student than poor districts. Mr. Reich likens the situation to residents of a particular street donating money to a local police foundation, on the condition that their block receive extra services from the community police force.
The book includes 14 chapters, examining theories and practices of effective grant making, and case studies of philanthropy’s backfiring — or at least proving ineffectual — as well as descriptions of successful giving.
Publisher: Indiana University Press, 601 North Morton Street, Bloomington, Ind. 47404; (800) 842-6796; fax (812) 855-7931; iuporder@indiana.edu; http://iupress.indiana.edu; 254 pages; $27.95; ISBN 0-253-21860-8.
