Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
October 2014; 43 (5)
http://nvs.sagepub.com/content/current

Research Trends in Nonprofit Graduate Studies
A Growing Interdisciplinary Field
Micheal L. Shier1, Femida Handy2
1University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
Abstract
This study examines the growth of the academic study of the formal nonprofit sector by focusing on dissertations and theses written between 1986 through 2010. Using a keyword search, we find and examine 3,790 abstracts available in the ProQuest Dissertation and Theses database. There has been a growing number of theses and dissertations since 1986; the majority (80.2%) were completed at schools in the United States. Thematic analysis found five main themes: (a) Resources (human and financial); (b) Organizational effectiveness and performance; (c) Organization development (context, processes, and culture); (d) Intra-organizational context (leadership, structure, etc.); and (e) Interaction and collaboration (with other organizations, government, etc.). Findings demonstrate an emerging interdisciplinary field in the study of the formal nonprofit sector. Trends across the 25-year time span relating to country of origin, theme, and subject are explored and discussed.