Richard Estes, MSW, DSW

Professor

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Research - Current Projects

Philanthropy, Charity, and the Role of Private Foundations in East Asia

Project Description:
East Asia is the world's most rapidly developing region. Consisting of China, Hong Kong, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Macau, Mongolia, and Taiwan, East Asia contains 26% of the world's total population. Despite of its size and high levels of cultural diversity, the region is in the midst of fundamental social changes that are expected to transform East Asia into one of the world's major political and economic centers. One of the most striking features of the region's recent development trends is the emergence of a broad range of nonprofit organizations, including more than 1,200 private charitable foundations.

This project builds on the investigator's prior research in comparative social development. The project examined the nature, structure, organization, and grant-making activities of private foundations in five East Asian countries, i.e., China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan.

Project Sponsors: Aspen Institute, Nonprofit Sector Research Fund; University of Pennsylvania Research Development Fund; Asian partners; Ford Foundation; United Way of Rochester, NY

Project Dates:
1997-2000

Project Staff:
Richard J. Estes, Principal Investigator; Howard Nemon, Research Associate

Research Sites:
China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Taiwan

Related Publications:
Estes, Richard J. (1998). "Emerging Chinese Foundations: The Contribution of Private Philanthropy to the New China," Regional Development Studies (of the United Nations Centre for Regional Development, Nagoya), 4 (Winter 1997/1998), pp. 165-180.

Estes, Richard J. (2001). "Charitable Foundations in East Asia: Tax Shelters For the Well-Off or Partners in Development? Social Development Issues 22(2/3):3-14.