Resisting the Hierarchy of Evidence: Philanthropic Foundations and the Rise of RCTs
New Works in the Field

Resisting the Hierarchy of Evidence: Philanthropic Foundations and the Rise of RCTs

Editors’ Note: Nicole P. Marwell and Jennifer E. Mosley discuss their new book, Mismeasuring Impact: How Randomized Controlled Trials Threaten the Nonprofit Sector (Stanford University Press, 2025). Recent scholarship has offered varying interpretations of what the appropriate function of foundations should be within a democracy. One dominant perspective highlights foundations’ contributions as drivers of social … Continue reading

Philanthropy and the State

Welfare Reform and the Relationship between Foundation Funding and State-level Policy

Editor’s Note: Jennifer Mosley and Joseph Galaskiewicz continue HistPhil’s forum on philanthropy and the state. Philanthropic foundations are independent when it comes to revenue. That seemingly neutral fact has led to two assumptions that govern how we tend to think about their interaction with the policy environment. First, foundations are typically seen as having unusual … Continue reading