Schar School Faculty Members Assume Co-Editorship of Nonprofit Journal

Three faculty members at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government have been named as co-editors-in-chief of Nonprofit Policy Forum, a premier journal dedicated to policy issues faced by nonprofits, philanthropy, and social enterprise.

Beginning July 1, associate professor Mirae Kim, professor and director of the Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise Alan Abramson, and professor Stefan Toepler will assume their roles at the publication, which is the youngest of the major journals focused on the nonprofit arena.

“NPF is the only open-access journal fully dedicated to nonprofit issues, and thus provides a forum for not only scholars but also nonprofit leaders and policymakers,” said Kim.

Established in 2010 and guided through its first decade by Georgia State University economist Dennis Young (emeritus), one of the founding fathers of nonprofit studies, NPF’s mission serves to publish original research and analysis on public policy issues and the public policy process critical to the work of nonprofit organizations. The journal’s importance has increased over the years.

“The global size, scope, and visibility of the nonprofit sector has increased tremendously over the past three decades,” said Toepler. “At the same time, policy environments are changing—sometimes opening spaces for nonprofits, but increasingly also closing them—which makes it imperative to focus attention on these developments.” 

Each of the new editors brings relevant experience that aims to strengthen the reach and impact of the publication.

• The referenced media source is missing and needs to be re-embedded.

  Abramson has served on the international editorial board of NPF for 11 years and is also an editorial board member of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.

• Kim has served as associate editor of the Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs and the International Review of Public Administration.
• Toepler currently sits on the editorial boards of Global Perspectives, the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis and VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, and served as an associate editor of the Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society.

“In the coming years, the new editors will help shape the field of nonprofit research and the important policy issues related to the nonprofit sector,” said Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School. “Their leadership exemplifies the passion and dedication Schar School faculty members bring to their areas of research beyond the classroom.”

With the strong foundation laid at NPF by its original editorial team, the trio looks forward to shepherding the journal during their term as editors to address longstanding and new issues in nonprofit policy.