Our research focuses on nonprofit organizations and the civic engagement of individuals in such organizations. Nonprofit organizations are voluntary and private organizations that are required by their statutes to plough back any accumulated profits into their mission. Our research includes nonprofits working in a variety of fields (e.g., social services, human rights advocacy, community development) and with diverse agendas and worldviews.  

We have three main areas of research   

• Management & governance: We investigate how different management and organizing practices, as well as different types of governance structures, affect the sustainability and impact of NPOs. We are particularly interested in the implications of democratic or typically business-like organizational practices and structures.  

• Civic engagement & civil society: We address questions about the individual and contextual factors that enable and foster civic engagement, focusing on various forms of volunteering, charitable giving and political engagement. We also investigate impacts of civic engagement, both for the engaged themselves and for civil society.  

• Transformation & collaboration: We have our finger on the pulse of the nonprofit sector, philanthropy and cross-sector collaboration. Whether it's the latest developments in impact investing and social entrepreneurship, or civil society responses to crises, our research keeps track of current developments.    

We conduct basic research and cooperate with npoAustria and the Competence Center for Nonprofit Organizations and Social Entrepreneurship for applied research, stakeholder dialogue and dissemination.  

Our publications