Governance of Public and Non-Profit Organizations

Boards play a crucial role in ensuring that public and non-profit organizations are publicly accountable and perform well. Following various failures and scandals, they face increasing scrutiny, pressure and expectations, and serious questions have been raised about the ability of boards to govern effectively. Such concerns have stimulated a renewed interest in organizational governance and a growing literature on the subject. Much of the literature, however, has been criticised for underestimating the constraints and conflictions demands that boards face and recommending unrealistic solutions. There have been relatively few detailed empirical studies of what boards do in practice.This volume brings together analyses based upon empirical studies of public and non-profit governance in the UK. Using a theoretical framework that highlights the paradoxical nature of governance, the book throws light on the questions at the heart of debates about non-profit boards: are boards publicly accountable or is there a democratic deficit?; are boards able to exercise real power, or does management run the show?; what do boards do?; are they effective stewards of an organization's resources?; ca

'Anyone interested in understanding more about the problems facing boards should read this book' - Andrew Brown, deputy chair of Charity Trustee Networks.'...it is likely to make the reader re-examine some funadamental assumptions about corporate governance...' - Corporate Governance, Paddy FitzGerald'In summary, this book is a gem that goes behind the scenes of board governance. As a result, it is a definite must for those serving on boards, and seeking insight into boards and how to improve them. It adds substantially to the literature on the governance of public and nonprofit organizations; both academics and practitioners would gain much by reading this well-edited text.' - Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 2003 - Dean F. Eitel, DePaul University, USA