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Warsaw 2009: Presentations and short courses

Challenges for Comparative Research on Philantropy in Europe

Session: Measuring Civil Society - What are the issues?

Authors:

Rene Bekkers; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
Pamala Wiepking; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract:

A framework is presented for comparative research on philanthropy in Europe. Previous studies of charitable giving have been conducted mostly in the US, the UK and the Netherlands. Questionnaires and survey designs of these studies are discussed with respect to their potential use in comparative research. The optimal research design is compared with actual research designs used in the European Social Survey 2002 and the Eurobarometer 62.2. The same regression equation is estimated using data from both surveys, and differences in parameter estimates are evaluated in the light of methodological differences between the two surveys.