A Voice for Nonprofits. By Jeffrey M. Berry with David F.
Arons. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2003. 210p.
$26.95.
The field of political science has long grappled with the standing of
interest groups in the policymaking process. Debate persists about the
leverage of lobbyists, public interest groups, political action
committees, and other special interests, and whether such influence is
effective or not, appropriate or not, representative or not. This
literature largely ignores “mainstream” nonprofit
organizations (those covered by section 501c3 of the federal tax code),
however, though these organizations serve a substantial—and
substantially disenfranchised—sector of society. With this book,
Jeffrey Berry shines light on these organizations, illuminating their
role not only as service providers but as advocates, and even
activists. Berry's book is a welcome addition to a growing
literature about nonprofit organizations that will be valuable to the
managers working to run them and to academics interested in studying
them.