Societal Roles of Nonprofit Organizations: Parsonian Echoes and Luhmannian Reframing of the Organization-Society Interface.

ABSTRACT: Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) have long been recognized as playing vital roles in society. Nevertheless, a coherent understanding of how these roles align with broader social theory, and how to conceptualize the interface between nonprofits and society is still lacking. In pursuit of a solid theoretical foundation, we conducted a systematic literature review encompassing 119 publications spanning from 1959 to 2021 that delve into the societal roles of NPOs. We reason that much of prior research has implicitly adhered to a functionalist perspective akin to that proposed by Talcott Parsons nearly seven decades ago. Our review identifies four overarching societal roles fulfilled by NPOs: service delivery, advocacy, integration, and the development of cultural patterns. Recognizing the limita

SUBMITTER: Maier F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11879769 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature