05011 Abstracts Collection -- Computing and Markets

From 03.01.05 to 07.01.05, the Dagstuhl Seminar 05011``Computing and Markets\u27\u27 was held in the International Conference and Research Center (IBFI), Schloss Dagstuhl. During the seminar, several participants presented their current research, and ongoing work and open problems were discussed. Abstracts of the presentations given during the seminar as well as abstracts of seminar results and ideas are put together in this paper. The first section describes the seminar topics and goals in general. Links to extended abstracts or full papers are provided, if available

Fears, constraints, and contracts: the democratic reality for New Zealand’s community and voluntary sector

The important role of community and voluntary sector organisations to democratic debate and policy development is widely acknowledged by governments, academics, and the sector itself. However, our survey of 153 NZ community and voluntary sector groups shows that democratic engagement has been constrained under both Labour-led and National-led governments in the last decade. The ‘contract’ environment dominating funding for social service providers; a lack of understanding and appreciation of those who work in the sector; and, disparaging remarks and treatment of ‘dissenters’ by political elite were major factors constraining democratic debate in NZ. This report was presented at the Community and Voluntary Sector Research Forum, Victoria University of Wellington, 26 March 2013

Civic Renewal and the Regulation of Non-profits

Civic Renewal and the Regulation of Non-profits analyzes four understandings of civic renewal, elaborated in the wake of Robert Putnam\u27s book Bowling Alone, in light of the federal regulatory scheme imposed upon voluntary associations that qualify as exempt organizations under the Internal Revenue Code. These perspectives emphasize the primacy of one or more of the following as indispensable elements of civic health: (1) cooperation and effective collective action, (2) self-governance (3) equality and representative institutions, and (4) the moral character of the community or the public spiritedness of citizens. The study analyzes how the different assumptions and purposes of these distinct perspectives on civic health suggest different, sometimes incompatible, recommendations for civic life and, by implication, for how voluntary associations should be regulated. Because voluntary associations are central to most prescriptions for revitalizing civic health, the analysis reviews the empirical data bearing on the dynamics of associations and the impact participation has on association members. I then evaluate the expectations expressed by advocates of civic renewal in light of these empirical findings. I conclude that increased participation in voluntary organizations has the potential to further the civic goals of the first (cooperation) and third (equality and representative institutions) perspectives. In contrast, based upon the empirical evidence reviewed, I question whether it is reasonable or useful for civic renewal advocates to portray associational life as an important potential source of increased public spiritedness (the fourth perspective) or the attributes necessary for reflective self-governance (the second perspective). The alternative is for those who emphasize the latter two aspects of civic health to recognize that certain substantive civic values must be nurtured in areas outside of the formal institutions of civic life rather than expected as the automatic or likely byproduct of a robust civil society. The heart of the study takes these findings and uses them to evaluate the existing regulation of voluntary associations by the Internal Revenue Code (the predominant source of the federal regulation of non-profits). In particular, I seek to clarify the ways in which existing tax rules further or undermine one or more of the civic goals elaborated in the first part. This part of the analysis also makes specific recommendations for regulatory reform to enhance the usefulness of non-profits for furthering the goals of each of the four civic renewal understandings

Catalyzing Fans

This paper proposes the development of Fan Action Committees (“FACs”), which, like their political counterpart ( PACs ), could mobilize and empower fans to play a larger role in the decision-making associated with which “production teams” the talent will work. We outline two institutional options: FACs could directly compensate talent by crowdfunding, or they could make donations to charities favored by talent. We then discuss both obstacles and objections from a variety of policy and legal perspectives ranging from competitive balance to distributive justice. Finally, we consider possible extensions of the FAC model as well as offer some ruminations on why FACs haven’t already developed. Importantly, FACs create the potential for more efficient valuations of talent by registering not only the number of fans but also the intensity of their preferences. This insight, which stresses the upside of price discrimination, has relevance for a wide range of human endeavor where bilateral contracts have third party externalities that are not currently calibrated or adequately valued

Reforming the governance of Chinese non-profits: a comparative analysis based on the UK's regulatory regime

China has witnessed a proliferation in the number of non-profits over the past two decades. As the ‘third sector’ that sits between the government, on the one hand, and commercial/for-profits, on the other, non-profit organisations have helped generate revenue for the Chinese Government, increased the number of jobs in this sector and delivered a wide variety of essential services. Notwithstanding these benefits, however, non-profits in China are unlikely to fulfil the increased social, economic or cultural expectations placed upon them, unless their own governance and infrastructure mechanisms are efficient, functional and well-designed. This throws up important and difficult questions about the role (and design) of board governance for non-profits in modern China. To answer these questions, the thesis seeks to develop an account of what contribution a board can make to the effective governance of non-profits in China, and how certain features of a board might be designed to achieve that. However, whilst the UK benefits from an abundance of academic literature, and regulatory experience, addressing non-profit governance, the Chinese non-profit sector, by contrast, has given such governance much less attention. Hence, this work provides a comparative study on non-profit board governance, drawing on the UK’s richer literature, thought and history in order to analyse better the challenges which China presents. Within this comparison, a number of social and political characteristics will be emphasised which distinguish the Chinese non-profit sector from that of the UK. Of crucial importance here is the interplay between board governance and social determinants in the Chinese context, especially the relationship between the sector and the Chinese Government. In short, then, the overarching goal of my thesis is to develop a blueprint for an effective board for non-profits, which can be adapted to the distinctive characteristics of the Chinese non-profit sector, and against which current board regulatory requirements in China can be measured

Entity and Identity

The function, indeed the very existence, of nonprofit corporations is undertheorized. Recent literature suggests that only preferential tax treatment adequately accounts for the persistence of the nonprofit form. This explanation is incomplete. Drawing on psychology¿s social identity theory, this Article posits that the nonprofit form can create a special ¿warm-glow¿ identity that cannot be replicated by the for-profit form. For example, a local nonprofit food cooperative sells more than the free-range eggs or organic strawberries that Whole Foods and other for-profits market so effectively. The co-op offers community participation and an investment in local farms, a distinctive ethos that is incompatible with the profit motive. Ascribing a special meaning to the nonprofit form allows us to view afresh a variety of issues regarding the appropriate legal treatment of nonprofits

A Review of Third Sector Research in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand: 1990–2016

This is the first comprehensive overview of third sector research in Australasia, prepared by leading researchers, Jenny Onyx in Australia and Garth Nowland-Foreman in Aotearoa New Zealand. It examines both the current state of knowledge of the sector and also the research infrastructure behind the sector. Part one documents the size and scope of the sector, as well as the development of the organisation ANZTSR and its journal. Part two examines relations with the state in each country, the rapid growth in funding services, but also effects of neo-liberal ideological and policy constraints. Part Three documents the current state of volunteering and philanthropy (giving) in both countries. Part Four examines the world of citizen action, building social capital within local communities, and also advocacy and political protest. The concluding Part Five examines some of the current developments in civil society, new emerging forms, and challenges for the future

AN ECONOMIC APPROACH TO VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATION

We develop an economic model of association based on voluntary contributions. Different equilibria corresponding to the different modes of formation of associations are analyzed and the results are compared with existing empirical literature. The main contribution consists in formalizing the voluntary association as a means of providing collectiveconsumption goods or services. We introduce the concept of the subjective quality as a possible incentive for volunteering. The model stresses the importance of non-pecuniary rewards and of accepted differentiation for well-functioning of voluntary organizations.Voluntary Association, Public Good, Volunteering