The International Society for Third-Sector Research is an international and multidisciplinary scholarly association to promote research and teaching about the Third, Voluntary, or Nonprofit Sector. July-September 2015



Volume 23/Number 3

ISTR Regional Networks Hold Meetings Puerto Rico Hosts the 10th ISTR Regional Latin America and the Caribbean Conference

Conference Report: The 9th ISTR Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Tokyo

By Alfredo Carrasquillo, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón

By Naoto Yamauchi, Osaka University, Japan

I

T

n a collaborative effort that brought together three of he 9th ISTR Asia Pacific Regional Conference was the leading higher education institutions in the counheld in Tokyo, Japan, on 26-28, August 2015, hosted try, two municipal governments and a local community by Nihon University College of Law. It was a great foundation, Puerto Rico hosted the 10th Regional Conferopportunity to witness a dynamic panorama of research. ence for Latin America and the Caribbean of the InternationQuite a large number of papers and panels were presented al Society for Third Sector in this conference, as well Research. The gathering of as a wide variety of topics researchers took place bearound the third sector such tween the 5th and the 7th of as governance and laws, tax August, 2015, in the capital regime, policy impact and city of San Juan and in the evaluation, wellbeing, welsouthern city of Ponce. fare systems, social capital, Nearly 120 particiCSR, fundraising, governTwelfth International Conference of the International pants were welcomed and ment and politics, public Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) housed at the Universidad private partnership, envidel Sagrado Corazón in ronment, sustainability, soErsta Sköndal University College • Stockholm, Sweden San Juan for the inaugural cial enterprise, and so on. June 28 - 1 July, 2016 events of the conference. The conference offered an N ew T heme A dded to C all for C ontributions They were transported latexcellent opportunity for er on to the Pontificia Uni- Research on Teaching Third Sector Studies has been added as an encouraging in-depth disadditional theme to the conference. versidad Católica de Puerto cussion on these key issues We encourage abstract submissions, as well as panels and Rico in Ponce, where they and advancing authentic roundtables pertaining to teaching, including case studies and were welcomed and housed and creative research works professional development. for the rest of the meeting. from multidimensional apPanel submissions are also encouraged on all topics. Both private universities, in proaches. an alliance with the public Roundtables are now part of the submission process as well and can The International be submitted online. This option has been added to provide opporuniversity system, UniverProgram Committee for tunity for a wide variety of topics as well program innovation. sidad de Puerto Rico, were this conference received Registration and travel details will be posted on the website. in charge of the local coornearly 140 paper submisRegistration will open in January 2016. Continued on page 4 Continued on page 5 Deadline for Submissions: 26 October 2015 1

P

r e s i d e n t

´s C

o l u m n

In many cases, these activities tend to distract the organizations from their “real jobs” that used to be significantly inclined to interest representation and lobbying. Finally, there is increasing competition from for-profits in many areas and policy fields which used to be prime fields of nonprofit activity. What TSOs do to accommodate to this changed environment is to become more and more business-like. Indeed, the organizations tend to thoroughly follow the advice of big consultancies such as McKinsey or KPMG. And for sure, this has a significant impact on the governance of the organizations. In many TSOs, the managers and administrators already come from