Philanthropy in an era of global governance

Abstract

The contemporary emphasis on philanthropic action represents a significant shift in the locus of responsibility for human well-being. Once regarded as the province of national governments, social policy is increasingly regarded as the legitimate enterprise of non-state philanthropic actors. We contend that global governance has created space for the emergence of philanthropic governors who make social policy through the accumulation and discretionary redistribution of wealth, thus depoliticizing discourse about global governance by reducing the visibility of the market and its negative impact on human well-being. First, we demonstrate how philanthropy and social policy are related as the politics of well-being. Second, we explore how philanthropic governing capacity as the redistribution of wealth becomes depoliticized and subsequently ends vital discourse about the relationship between the market and well-being. Finally, we conclude that philanthropic governing capacity raises serious questions about who is responsible for human well-being in an era of global governance. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010.