Faith-Based Organizations and Social Welfare

The case studies in this volume examine the activities of faith-based institutions in a representative sample of African and Latin American countries, including societies with and without a dominant religious tradition, and states with different levels and types of government-provided social services. Among other questions, the chapters examine the types of social service activities faith-based organizations engage in; their effect on civil society and democratic processes; their influence on the character of local and national communities; and what new pressures would be brought to bear on state-provided services if these faith-based organizations ceased to exist.

Miguel Glatzer is professor of political science at La Salle University in Philadelphia.

Christine A. Gustafson is professor of politics at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.

Paul Manuel is a research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown