Governance of Non-Profit and Non-Governmental Organizations - Within- and Between- Organization Analyses: an Introduction

Despite the fact that nonprofit organizations play a large role in the production and distribution of goods and services in modern economies, and the rising role of non-governmental organizations in carrying out projects in developing countries, our knowledge of their governance, and of its’ implications for their behaviour and performance, is limited. This special issue tries to uncover some of the mechanisms and institutions that characterize the governance of non-profits and NGOs, as well as its implications. In particular, the papers focus on: (i) the determinants of NGO governance and its implications for reducing poverty in developing countries, (ii) the governance of non-profit organizations, (iii) the impact of governance characteristics on the performance of non-profit organizations, and (iv) the effect of non-profit governance on the interaction between the non-profit and for-profit sectors.