Nonprofit Advocacy, Networks, and the Dynamics of Collective

• In Event: 594 - Section on Political Sociology Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 17. NGOs as Political Actors

Abstract

Nonprofits plan an increasingly substantive role in shaping policy. For one, advocacy work has emerged amongst traditional service nonprofits that still focus on direct service provision but now use a broad set of tactics and strategies in order to affect social and political change. However, a vast body of literature presupposes that nonprofits make their advocacy decisions without taking into account the actors of others despite the fact that organizations are not isolated entities that are separated from their social and political context. In this study, we investigate the political mobilization of 50 social service networks involved in homeless services. We demonstrate how service networks can be re-purposed and used for political advocacy.

Authors

• Hui Li, University of Southern California

• David F. Suarez, University of Washington