Bridging the Gaps: Faith-Based Organizations, Neoliberalism, and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

Hefferan, Tara (Editor)/ Adkins, Julie (Editor)/ Occhipinti, Laurie (Editor)

ISBN 10: 0739132873 / ISBN 13: 9780739132876

Published by Lexington Books, 2009

About this Item

238 pages. 9.00x6.00x0.75 inches. In Stock.

Seller Inventory # x-0739132873

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Bridging the Gaps: Faith-Based Organizations, Neoliberalism, and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean
• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0739132873
• ISBN 13: 9780739132876
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Brand New
• Weight: 0.53 kilograms

About this title

Synopsis

As neoliberal philosophies and economic models spread across the globe, faith-based non-governmental ("third-sector") organizations have proliferated. They increasingly fill the gaps born of state neglect by designing and delivering social services and development programming. This collection shines a much-needed critical light onto these organizations by exploring the varied ways that faith-based organizations attempt to mend the fissures and mitigate the effects of neoliberal capitalism and development practices on the poor and powerless. The essays-grounded in empirical case studies-cover such topics as the meaning of "faith-based" development, evaluations of faith-based versus secular approaches, the influence of faith-orientation on program formulation and delivery, and examinations of faith-based organizations' impacts on structural inequality and poverty alleviation.

Bridging the Gaps demonstrates the vital importance of ethnography for understanding the particular role of faith-based agencies in Latin America, revealing both the promise and the limitations of this "new" mode of development.

About the Author

Tara Hefferan is visiting assistant professor of anthropology at Central Michigan University. Julie Adkins is an instructor in anthropology at Southern Methodist University. Laurie Occhipinti is associate professor of anthropology at Clarion University of Pennsylvania.