Independent Sector Announces Recipients of
2005 Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Prize

(Washington, D.C., October 7, 2005) -- Independent Sector will present its 2005 Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Prize to Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart for their book, Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide. 

The Hodgkinson Prize was established by Independent Sector in 1995 to recognize outstanding published research that advances the understanding of philanthropy, voluntary action, nonprofits, and civil society in the United States and around the world. 

This year, two works will share honorable mention.  Richard Chait, Bill Ryan, and Barbara Taylor will be recognized for their book, Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards, and Steven Dubb and Gar Alperovitz of The Democracy Collaborative will be recognized for their book, Building Wealth: The New Asset-Based Approach to Solving Social and Economic Problems.

Award recipients will be honored at the Independent Sector 25th Anniversary Conference in Washington, D.C., from October 23 to October 25, 2005.  The award includes an honorarium of $2,000 for first place and $1,000 to be split among this year's honorable mentions.  This year's Hodgkinson Prize is made possible by National Association of Service and Conservation Corps, Nehemiah Corporation of America, and The NonProfit Times.

Sacred and Secular examines the development of a secular orientation in different countries as it relates to economic and social development, modernization, security, demographics, and the predominant religious culture.  It also looks into the rise of religiosity in particular countries and discusses why the gap between religion and secular around the globe has important consequences for world politics.  Pippa Norris is the McGuire Lecturer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  Ronald Inglehart is professor and program director at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.

Governance as Leadership combines theory with practice and offers trustees and executives a new and practical framework to govern nonprofits and enable effective trusteeship.  Richard Chait is a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; Bill Ryan is a research fellow at the Hauser Center for Nonprofits at Harvard University; and Barbara Taylor is a senior consultant with the Academic Search Consultation Service.

Building Wealth connects empirical research with policy and economic concerns and suggests practical ways for nonprofits, government, and business to work together to solve the many new and difficult challenges facing society today.  Steven Dubb is a senior research associate at The Democracy Collaborative at the University of Maryland.  Gar Alperovitz is the Lionel Bauman Professor of political economy at the University of Maryland and the founding principal of The Democracy Collaborative.

“High quality research and in-depth understanding of issues is an essential component of the charitable sector's work,” said Diana Aviv , president and CEO of Independent Sector.  “These important works are well-deserving of this year's Hodgkinson Prize and honorable mentions.”

The prize is named in honor of Virginia Ann Hodgkinson, who is renowned worldwide as a driving force behind the development of research on the nonprofit sector and voluntary action.  Dr. Hodgkinson served as Vice President for Research at Independent Sector from 1983 to 1996.

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Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of approximately 600 charities, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the nonprofit community.