A profile of the non-profit sector in Romania

With the revolution of December 1989, citizens of Romania gained the right to form non-profit organisations for the first time in 40 years. Since then, Romania has begun to explore the frontiers of private initiative through the introduction of non-profit, non-governmental organisations as well as profit-making businesses. In this article we review the historical development and legal framework of Romania's emerging non-profit sector. We also provide the first empirical snapshot of that sector by applying the International Classification of Nonprofit Organizations (ICNPO) developed by Salamon and Anheier to 499 organisations identified in the Soros Catalogue of Nongovernmental Organizations in Romania: 1991-92. Finally, we speculate on the future development of the Romanian non-profit sector by considering alternative scenarios involving the relationships between indigenous non-profits, international NGOs and the Romanian government.