Situating the Nonprofit Industrial Complex

Tyson Singh Kelsall (), Jake Seaby Palmour, Rory Marck, A. J. Withers, Nicole Luongo, Kahlied Salem, Cassie Sutherland, Jasmine Veark, Lyana Patrick, Aaron Bailey, Jade Boyd, Q. Lawrence, Mathew Fleury, Alya Govorchin, Nathan Crompton, Chris Vance, Blake Edwards, Anmol Swaich, Amber Kelsall, Meenakshi Mannoe, Portia Larlee and Jenn McDermid
Additional contact information
Tyson Singh Kelsall: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Jake Seaby Palmour: School of Social Work, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2, Canada
Rory Marck: Community Scholars Program, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
A. J. Withers: Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Nicole Luongo: Independent Researcher, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3, Canada
Kahlied Salem: Independent Researcher, Vancouver, BC V6A 1H4, Canada
Cassie Sutherland: Independent Researcher, Vancouver, BC V6A 1H4, Canada
Jasmine Veark: Independent Researcher, Vancouver, BC V6B 0R1, Canada
Lyana Patrick: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Aaron Bailey: Eastside Illicit Drinkers Group for Education, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Vancouver, BC V6A 1P4, Canada
Jade Boyd: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada
Q. Lawrence: Independent Researcher, Vancouver, BC V6A 1H4, Canada
Mathew Fleury: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Alya Govorchin: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Nathan Crompton: Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Vancouver, BC V6A 1P4, Canada
Chris Vance: Political Science Graduate Program, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
Blake Edwards: Independent Researcher, Vancouver, BC V6A 1H4, Canada
Anmol Swaich: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Amber Kelsall: School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6C 1S4, Canada
Meenakshi Mannoe: Pivot Legal Society, Vancouver, BC V6A 3E9, Canada
Portia Larlee: Independent Researcher, BT7 3GZ Belfast, Ireland
Jenn McDermid: Interdisciplinary Studies Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada

Social Sciences, 2023, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-24

Abstract: This article centers on the nonprofit landscape in Vancouver, Canada, a city that occupies the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations, which have never been ceded to the colonial occupation of Canada. Vancouver has a competitive nonprofit field, with an estimated 1600+ nonprofits operating within city limits. This descriptive review starts by defining what a nonprofit industrial complex (NPIC) is, then outlines an abbreviated history of the nonprofit sector on the aforementioned lands. The article then explores issues related to colonialism, anti-poor legislation, neoliberal governance, the fusing of the public and private sectors, and the bureaucratization of social movements and care work as mechanisms to uphold the status quo social order and organization of power. Focusing on under-examined issues related to the business imperatives of nonprofit organizations in the sectors of housing, health and social services, community policing, and research, this work challenges the positive default framing of nonprofits and charities. Instead, we contend that Vancouver’s NPIC allows the government and the wealthy to shirk responsibility for deepening health and social inequities, while shaping nonprofits’ revenue-generating objectives and weakening their accountability to the community.

Keywords: nonprofit industrial complex; nonprofits; tenancy rights; housing rights; carceral housing; settler colonial; abolitionist social work; abolition; critical social work; social policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/10/549/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/10/549/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:10:p:549-:d:1251499

Access Statistics for this article

Social Sciences is currently edited by Ms. Yvonne Chu

More articles in Social Sciences from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().