Nonprofit Management Education in the Czech Republic

Abstract

From the mid-1990s a great increase in the number of nonprofit management education (NME) programs has been reported in the United States. This article explores the state and development of NME at universities and colleges in one Central European postcommunist country, the Czech Republic. Systematic research in 2007/2008 identified more than 100 nonprofit sector–related courses and four programs with a concentration in NME. Most of these programs embody the civil society approach to NME, while the leaders of the nonprofit organizations call for more of a managerial approach that would aid nonprofit organizations to survive. The emphasis on management for survival is embodied also in the rise of industry-based programs that do not explicitly distinguish the “nonprofit” issues. It is a paradox that while the NME programs were established partly in an effort to legitimize and strengthen civil society, the demand from nonprofit sector leaders is predominantly for technical managerial education.