The Evolution of Philanthropy in South and Central America
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
March 23, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
Philanthropy and Social Change in Latin America
edited by Cynthia Sanborn and Felipe Portocarrero
While volunteerism and church-sponsored charity work is part of the culture in Latin America, organized philanthropy is a recent phenomenon in the region, write Cynthia Sanborn and Felipe Portocarrero in their introduction to this book.
The collection of 17 articles on giving and volunteering in Central and South America examines the ways grant making and corporate giving are taking root in the area. Ms. Sanborn, a professor of political science, and Ms. Portocarrero, a professor of sociology and contemporary social thought, both hail from the Universidad del Pacifico in Lima, Peru. The essays’ other authors are scholars from both American continents.
One essay on corporate social responsibility looks at the growing number of businesses that are giving generously and encouraging community service as a way to improve their reputation and image. It compares “socially oriented activities” by businesses in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, finding that Brazilian companies use their philanthropic efforts to influence public opinion more than corporations in the other countries do.
Other chapters explore the challenges in establishing private foundations and give an overview on the public-policy issues that govern philanthropy.
Publisher: Harvard University Press, 79 Garden Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02138; (617) 496-1340; fax (617) 349-5244; http://www.hup.harvard.edu; 453 pages; $24.99; ISBN 0-674-01965-2.
