The Third Force – The First Book to Systematically Introduce America’s Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy to China
The most significant social consequence of China’s economic reform is the increasing diversification of public resources, interests, and needs. A modern nation, regardless of its political system, must find it imperative to combine public and private efforts in providing social services for its citizens.
The Chinese government has also begun to realize the essentiality as well as the benefits of encouraging the growth of nonprofit organizations and private philanthropy. However, the concept and operation of the nonprofit sector of a modern nation have not been adequately understood in China.
In The Third Force: America’s Nonprofit Organizations and People-to-People Diplomacy, Yong Lu presents an introduction of the U.S. nonprofit sector and private philanthropy to the Chinese audience. The book provides every detail of the nonprofit system in the United States, ranging from the historical background and structure to contemporary development and innovation of the institution. In addition, Lu discusses how private, nonprofit organizations can play an important role in public policy making and diplomacy.
The purpose of the book is to enhance the Chinese understanding of America’s nonprofit sector and help clarify numerous common misperceptions on this subject. This study not only clarifies the scope, structure, rationale, and operation of the nonprofit sector, but also examines the subject from historical and cultural perspectives and puts it into context in relation to government and business. The book should generate discussion on both Western experiences in philanthropy and how China can develop its own version of vibrant nonprofit sector and civil society.
It is the first Chinese-language book to provide a systematic, comprehensive, and cutting-edge analysis of America’s nonprofit sector based on both extensive research and firsthand professional experience.