Charities’ perceptions of open access to medical research: A situational analysis

This poster outlines the methodology and preliminary results of a study exploring medical charities’ perceptions of open access to scholarly research. It is part of a wider project investigating the use of OA research in different non-academic contexts, and it is based on analysis of eight semi-structured interviews conducted with staff members in medical charities. Interviews were analyzed using Situational Analysis, a form of constructivist grounded theory developed by Adele Clarke. Preliminary results are presented, including the expertise and insider knowledge which medical charity staff use to get access to paywalled research, the values and risks (to different social groups) perceived in making research open access, and the different discursive constructions of the ‘non-academic’ user who wishes to access research. The study contributes to a small, but growing body of research exploring the potential value of open access outside academia

Philanthropy on the Road to Nationhood in Singapore Philanthropy in Asia: Working Paper No. 1

This paper attempts to address the gap in knowledge on the contributions by philanthropic players to national development in Singapore. Using grounded research, it explores the evolution of giving by individuals, the community and the private sector in Singapore from the end of World War II in 1945 to today. It looks at how each group gives towards prevailing social needs, unexpected events and crises as well as government calls for community support across fve key phases in Singapore's journey to nationhood. To provide context to the giving, the political and socio-economic situation of each time frame and concurrent government social welfare provisions in each phase are also described

State Oversight of Hospital Conversions: Preserving Trust or Protecting Health?

This paper explores the recent trend of hospital conversions from not-for-profit to for-profit corporate organizational form. Hospital conversions implicate the public interest in charitable assets and affect health policy goals. The paper concludes that current and developing oversight regimes do not adequately protect these interests. The paper finds that state attorneys general are frequently the only government actors with authority to review conversions. In some states, there is no effective regulation of conversions, and/or converted assets are not accurately valued. Without adequate oversight and thorough valuations, assets meant for charitable purposes are transferred to for-profit buyers or executives of the not-for-profit sellers. Even when attorneys general are able to oversee conversion, the doctrines upon which their authority is based -- trust law and corporations law -- hinder the advancement of health policy goals. These doctrinal limitations do not constrain all attorneys general from conducting substantive health policy reviews when they oversee conversions. While conversion statutes and proposed legislation resolve some of the obstacles to oversight, they do not address the conflict between health policy goals and trust and corporations law. The data are drawn primarily from interviews with assistant attorneys general in thirty-two states.This publication is Hauser Center Working Paper No. 10. The Hauser Center Working Paper Series was launched during the summer of 2000. The Series enables the Hauser Center to share with a broad audience important works-in-progress written by Hauser Center scholars and researchers

The Index of Global Philanthropy and Remittances 2012

This year's Index of Global Philanthropy and Remittances chronicles the continued growth of private financial flows to the developing world and how new forms of giving are poised to change the face of international philanthropy and global foreign aid as we know it today