Bridging the Gaps: Faith-based Organizations, Neoliberalism, and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780739132876)

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.

Author: Tara Hefferan
ISBN-10: 0739132873
ISBN-13: 9780739132876
Publisher: Lexington Books
Language: English
Published: 03/16/2009
Pages: 248
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.90d