Charity within Professional Environment of Saint Petersburg Germans in the Late 18th - Early 20th Century

The article studies the system of German professional charitable organizations that existed in the late 18th - early 20th century. Charitable associations related to professional activities are conditionally divided into three categories: 1) shelters for representatives of various professions; 2) societies and mutual aid funds; 3) associations providing various assistance to the poor segments of the city population. We analyse the underlying mechanisms and functions of philanthropic institutions created either by German charitable organizations or private individuals for representatives of certain professions; in some cases we overview their financing as well. The article provides brief look at German immigrant mutual aid funds and principles of their operations. Charitable support was especially necessary for the Germans who had recently arrived in the city and had not yet found and employment, as well to the layers of German population unable to work. By analyzing the means of inter-societal support and external charity efforts it is possible to identify and suggest possible ways to provide social assistance to foreigners who come to St. Petersburg for the purpose of professional employment.

For the Sake of Marguirguis

This contribution endeavors to show that building and administrating Coptic charitable associations according to the laws of the Egyptian Ministry of Social Affairs (mosa) does not mean allying with or challenging one of the two institutions that claim control over the Coptic Christian ethics of giving in Egypt: the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate and the Egyptian government. Especially since my interlocutors are simultaneously integral subjects of the waqf properties (endowments, i.e. the parishes) administered by the institutional Church, they are less interested in negotiating a true definition of such a practice. Beyond the power dynamics that have played out over the orthodoxy of religious practices and that are intensively analyzed in existing literature, I argue that maintaining relations with the two official entities that govern Christian charity in Egypt invites thinking about interactions developed within the context of a heavenly community. Instead of focusing on the competition of who holds and authorizes the better form of the Coptic Christian tradition of khidma (service), I suggest that the interactions with this divine community are sometimes intertwined with overlooked invisible and inaudible meanings of dissent and activism among members of the largest Christian minority in the Middle East.

Mapping and Analysis of Sustainability-Oriented Partnerships in Non-Profit Organizations: The Case of Saudi Arabia

The growing alignment between Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) and cooperation development actors has contributed to creating new partnerships to be harnessed in addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (e.g., SDG 17). This study aimed to map the key characteristics of engagements between NPOs and other actors. An analytical framework was designed to map the partnerships in terms of four main areas, namely, drivers, motivations, the partnership’s characteristics, and outcomes. Charitable associations were selected as a representative type of NPO. The study analyzed 459 partnerships established by charities in the Riyadh region during 2016–2018. The findings showed that the associations engaged in partnerships mainly to enhance their financial stability. Cross-sector partnerships were observed in 63.4% of the cases, principally with the private sector. The results also indicated that 89.7% of the partnerships could be called “transactional partnerships” in cases of both philanthropic and social investment partnerships. It could be concluded that the mapping framework provides useful information for policy-makers concerned with how charitable associations engaged with the other actors, as well as the existing policy gaps to be implemented for sustainability.

Legal foundations of charity as a civil activity in the Russian Empire in the second half of the XIX century

The paper analyzes the significance of legal regulation of charity for the formation of elements of civil society in the Russian Empire in the second half of the XIX century. Legislative changes in the field of regulation of philanthropic activities are systematized. The formation of a new sphere of civic activity outside the influence of the state is considered on the example of charitable associations of the post-reform period. The legal foundations of charity are studied to identify opportunities for the development of civil activity in the Russian Empire.

Diaspora Policies, Consular Services and Social Protection for Swiss Citizens Abroad

This chapter presents the policies of Swiss institutions in their dealings with Swiss abroad, with a specific focus on the area of social protection. It shows how the Federal Council gained control over a large network of institutions during a relatively short period of time. Since the 1960s, the Federal Council has developed encompassing social protection policies for Swiss nationals abroad, while safeguarding the working of pre-existent cantonal and charitable associations. As a result, Swiss nationals abroad can access a wide set of social entitlements.

From Ribbonism to Hibernianism in the Post-Famine Diaspora

The chapter explores the Ribbon-style charitable associations across the Atlantic, which the exiled Confederate leaders from Ireland sought to co-opt into nationalist cause. Discussion then moves on to the Ribbon networks of 1850s Britain, where the Irish could not call on such unencumbered radical leadership. This chapter also examines some of the differences between what we might term Ribbon–Hibernians in America and in other parts of diaspora. It also considers the trend towards public Hibernian forms. In the 1860s, from Canada to New Zealand, hundreds of branches of many organisations bearing somewhere in their names the word ‘Hibernian’ became the main expression of communal Irishness.