Charitable Action at Home & Abroad

What responsibilities do citizens owe their local and global communities? In what ways do people engage in volunteer and philanthropic activities? How do national or local politics influence one’s propensity—and ability—to pursue such work? In this course we will explore the dynamics of charitable action at home and abroad by comparing the cultural norms and institutional arrangements of the charitable sector in four industrialized democracies: the United States, Japan, France, and Britain. Through case studies of both local and national charitable organizations, we will examine the politics of charitable work and gain a practical perspective on the challenges facing charitable organizations and volunteers alike.