Growing Civil Society: From Nonprofit Sector to Third Space

Growing Civil Society investigates the role of voluntary action and nonprofit organization in contemporary America. Key to the book is the concept of ＂third space,＂ which provides an important tool for the construction of civil society. The third space is not independent from society’s major institutions, but exists in dynamic interdependence with them, linking individuals in their home bases of family and community to the larger governmental and economic structures within which all citizens, workers, and consumers learn to find their way in modern society.

Jon Van Til is Professor of Urban Studies and Community Planning at Rutgers University, Camden. His books include Critical Issues in American Philanthropy: Strengthening Theory and Practice and Mapping the Third Sector: Voluntarism in a Changing Social Economy.