Publication details
Rural nonprofit organizations and their functions in communities and local governance: Survey results from Vysočina and South Moravia
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Proceeding of the 19th International Conference: Current Trends in Public Sector Research |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Economy |
| Keywords | rural nonprofit organizations; local governance; Czech Republic; rural development; service function; community building; advocacy |
| Description | Motivated by constrained public good delivery and social cohesion-weakening tendencies in rural areas, this paper examines rural nonprofit organizations and their contribution to communities and local governance. We analyze three functions of the nonprofit organizations - service, community-building and advocacy functions - and their variation among municipalities characterized by different degrees of rurality. Using survey data (interviews with mayors) from 179 rural municipalities in Vysočina and South Moravian regions, we find an overall positive perception of the nonprofits’ role for communities and local governance. Although the rural nonprofits provide services mainly in areas of sports and leisure activities, while nonprofits’ provision in fields requiring more specialized expertise and professionalization are found frequently missing or insufficient, the rural nonprofits were greatly recognized for their community-building function. These organizations’ advocacy function was assessed as significantly weaker; nevertheless, the organizations are considered mostly active in local governmental affairs, and their relationship to local governments is assessed as mainly cooperative. These results, however, show systematic variation among rural municipalities, where municipality size and proximity to district towns are found to matter for the nonprofits’ potential to serve the community and play an active role in local governance. |