The Role of Nonprofit Human Service Organizations in Providing Social Services

Summary The essay presents the recent developments in nonprofit human service organizations that belong to the “third sector.” The author describes and analyzes the changing context of human services, in which a new division of labor has emerged between the government and nongovernmental organizations, including nonprofit and for-profit service providers. “Demand and supply” theories are presented, in order to explain the mission, goals, and roles of nonprofit human service providers and their contribution to the state economy. Finally, the author explores the extent to which these organizations actualize their ideology in a society characterized by growing inequality, and by widening social and economic gaps between “haves” and “have nots.”