The philanthropic LLC: Business influence over/via EdTech
Lara Patil and
Dana Brakman Reiser
International Journal of Educational Development, 2025, vol. 115, issue C
Abstract:
This paper presents a specific legal vehicle for for-profit philanthropy, the limited liability corporation, and analyzes: to what extent the philanthropic limited liability corporation is blurring the lines between high-net-worth individuals and the corporations they found and lead; how new modes of engagement are shifting dynamics between corporate capitalist business rationales and philanthropic endeavors and, in turn, impact the nature of education technology solutions made available; and how technology and philanthropic sector convergence is affecting power relations, educational inequalities, and global North/South relations. The theoretical framing draws from contemporary comparative education research, where scholars are comprehensively unpacking transnational education transfer processes, and contributes to a growing body of critical EdTech scholarship rethinking the presence of technologies in our lives and schooling. The findings demonstrate how the autonomy of for-profit philanthropy is increasingly linked to the institutional profit rationales of affiliate corporations, with elite philanthropists leveraging philanthropy to advance their own business development and growth impact.
Keywords: For-profit Philanthropy; Limited Liability Corporation; Education Governance; Global North/South Relations; High-net-worth Individuals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:injoed:v:115:y:2025:i:c:s0738059325000707
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103272
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