Chair: Rachel Laforest, Queen’s University

Institutional logics as a framework for understanding sub-national third sector ecosystems: An analysis of Quebec and Scotland
Caitlin McMullin, Concordia University

In this paper, we compare the development of the community/ social economy sectors in Scotland and Quebec, which have developed distinct ecosystems that diverge from the liberal regimes of the UK and Canada. We employ an institutional logics framework to consider how the policies, structures, identities and values of each stateless nation have formed unique structures and identities of the third sector that distinguish them from their more powerful neighbours. In so doing, we produce new evidence using a novel institutional logics approach to refine our understanding of the development of sub-state level third sector ecosystems.

Nonprofit sector relations with the state in an era of consensus-based governance networks: a Scottish case study
Jane Cullingworth, University of Glasgow

This presentation presents findings from a case study exploring the impact of a nonprofit organisation's‚ active participation in state-initiated governance networks. The study considered the impact on the organisation‚ representation of the sector and its independence from the state. The findings suggest that the organisation‚ legitimacy as an umbrella body was undermined by its active engagement with the state, highlighting the risks of sector participation in consensus-based networks. A fundamental challenge for public policy related to nonprofit/government relations is raised: how do civil society actors participate in democratic governance while maintaining autonomy from the state and legitimacy with civil society?

Understanding the Local Nonprofit Ecosystem: A Data-Driven Case Study of a Community Foundation in a Socioeconomic-Challenged Region
Michael McCarthy, Utica College; Brett Orzechowski, Utica College; Taylor Best, Utica College

This case study reviews the collaborative engagement of a community foundation with college faculty to better understand the local nonprofit ecosystem and develop measurable, data-driven community objectives. The faculty team led an objective-building session with community stakeholders and analyzed open-source financial data reported in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) nonprofit 990 tax forms for 2015, 2016, and 2017. The analysis enabled the community foundation to assess the distribution of local nonprofits and each nonprofit’s fiscal status, while also offering a framework to facilitate coordination among nonprofits by National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) major groups to support broader community objectives.