Institutional pressures and the prevalence of nonprofit sector support organizations

Abstract

AbstractThis study focuses on the prevalence of nonprofit sector support organizations (NSSOs)—a form of nonprofit organization (NPO) devoted to providing services and resources to support grassroots development. Contrary to previous studies that emphasize the importance of institutions in shaping the NPO population through their effect on citizens and nonprofit managers, this study links three institutional pressures—coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures—to the decisions of public agencies to establish NSSOs. This study examines this claim using a newly constructed dataset of NSSOs across 330 Chinese cities between 2012 and 2021 (N = 2385). The results indicate that cities with greater pressure from provincial governments, neighboring cities, and professional associations are more likely to promote the establishment of NSSOs. This study advances the understanding of the impact of institutions on the dynamics of the NPO population by demonstrating their effect on public agencies.