Just Giving - by Rob Reich

Book Synopsis

The troubling ethics and politics of philanthropy

Is philanthropy, by its very nature, a threat to today's democracy? Though we may laud wealthy individuals who give away their money for society's benefit, Just Giving shows how such generosity not only isn't the unassailable good we think it to be but might also undermine democratic values. Big philanthropy is often an exercise of power, the conversion of private assets into public influence. And it is a form of power that is largely unaccountable and lavishly tax-advantaged. Philanthropy currently fails democracy, but Rob Reich argues that it can be redeemed. Just Giving investigates the ethical and political dimensions of philanthropy and considers how giving might better support democratic values and promote justice.

Review Quotes

"Just Giving breaks ground in its outright challenge of philanthropy's fit with democracy. Reich is at his best when demonstrating the ways in which philanthropy fails to fulfil its egalitarian promise."---Ian Anstee, Voluntary Sector Review

"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year"

"Inside Philanthropy's Philanthropy Critic of 2018"

"One of the LSE Marshall Institute's Books of 2019"

About the Author

Rob Reich is professor of political science and codirector of the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University.