Abstract
AbstractElite philanthropy—voluntary giving at scale by wealthy individuals, couples and families—is intimately bound up with the exercise of power by elites. This theoretically oriented review examines how big philanthropy in the United States and United Kingdom serves to extend elite control from the domain of the economic to the domains of the social and political, and with what results. Elite philanthropy, we argue, is not simply a benign force for good, born of altruism, but is heavily implicated in what we call the new age of inequalities, certainly as consequence and potentially as cause. Philanthropy at scale pays dividends to donors as much as it brings sustenance to beneficiaries. The research contribution we make is fourfold. First, we demonstrate that the true nature and effects of elite philanthropy can only be understood in the context of what Bourdieu calls the field of power, which maintains the economic, social and political hegemony of the super‐rich, nationally and globally. Second, we demonstrate how elite philanthropy systemically concentrates power in the hands of mega foundations and the most prestigious endowed charitable organizations. Third, we explicate the similarities and differences between the four main types of elite philanthropy—institutionally supportive, market‐oriented, developmental and transformational—revealing how and why different sections within the elite express themselves through philanthropy. Fourth, we show how elite philanthropy functions to lock in and perpetuate inequalities rather than remedying them. We conclude by outlining proposals for future research, recognizing that under‐specification of constructs has hitherto limited the integration of philanthropy within the mainstream of management and organizational research.
Highlights
The logic of philanthropy derives from the ethics of virtue and duty, and from the existence of sustained inequalities of income and wealth that create opportunity for the rich voluntarily to support the poor (Barman, 2017; Pharoah, 2016; Reich, 2017)
Building on the transactional model of philanthropy advanced by Harvey et al (2011), we demonstrate that elite philanthropy is best understood as a strong card routinely played by members of the economic elite within local, national and international fields of power (Bourdieu, 1985; Harvey et al, 2020b)
We focus on three of the most important issues raised in this paper, namely: elite power in the context of neoliberalism; the ethics of elite philanthropy; and the legitimacy afforded by elite philanthropy against a background of contestation
Summary
The logic of philanthropy derives from the ethics of virtue and duty, and from the existence of sustained inequalities of income and wealth that create opportunity for the rich voluntarily to support the poor (Barman, 2017; Pharoah, 2016; Reich, 2017). Civic-minded entrepreneurs with the wherewithal to improve the lives of others led the way in solving many social problems created by industrialization and the triumph of capitalism (Hall, 1992, 2006; Owen, 1964; Zunz, 2012, 2016). In the first age of inequalities, from the mid-19th century to 1914, philanthropists in both nations funded thousands of charitable organizations, providing free or subsidized access to social services, healthcare, education, higher education, religion, recreation and culture (Burlingame, 2004; Friedman & McGarvie, 2003; Prochaska, 1988). The paybacks for philanthropically minded industrialists came in improved relations between capital and labour, enhanced reputation and political capital that arguably exacerbated social inequalities rather than reducing them (Harvey et al, 2011; Shepherd & Toms, 2019)
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