Nonprofits in Organizational Sociology’s Research Traditions: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Neoinstitutional, population ecology, and resource dependence research traditions enjoy enduring popularity in the American organization science and sociological literature. Such research traditions are advanced through empirical studies of organizations—non-profit, public, and for-profit. Noting some nonprofit lineage of the aforementioned traditions, this empirical study seeks to measure the use of sectors’ organizations in the advancement of generalized organization theory. To do this, the author develops and explores three research questions about the current uses of the research traditions and organizational samples, by sector, in journals of organization theory. A brief discussion of findings and implications follows.