Over the past forty years the nonprofit sector has experienced a steady rise in the professionalization of its employees and its operations. Some have argued that this trend is in large part a reaction to the requirements foisted upon the nonprofit sector through the passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1969. While some scholars have detailed a number of unintended consequences that have resulted from this trend toward professionalization, in general scholars and practitioners have accepted it as a necessary step along the path toward ensuring that service is administered in an accountable and responsible manner. I analyze the contemporary trend in professionalization of the nonprofit sector from a different angle--one which seeks to determine how the nonprofit sector came to problematize the nature of its service beginning in the early twentieth century, as well as the consequences of doing so, rather than reinforce the existing normative arguments. To this end, I employ an "analytics of government" from an ethical and political perspective which is informed by Michel Foucault's conception of genealogy, as well as his work on governing rationalities, in order to reveal the historical and political forces that contribute to the nonprofit sector's professionalization and that shape its current processes, institutions, and norms. I ultimately argue that these forces serve to reinforce a broad movement away from the charitable impulse that motivates individuals to engage in personal acts of compassion and toward a philanthropic enterprise by which knowledge is rationally applied toward reforming society rather than aiding individuals. This movement toward institutional philanthropy and away from individual charity supplants the needs of the individual with the needs of the organization. I then apply this analysis to propose an alternate governing model for the nonprofit sector--one that draws on Foucault's exploration of ancient writings on love, self-knowledge, and governance--in order to locate a space for the individual in nonprofit life.

This dissertation examines the way in which social capital, or productive networks, can be used to support downtown renewal. This case study examines the way in which Phoenix Community Alliance (PCA) and Downtown Phoenix Partnership (DPP)--two, critical downtown-focused organizations ostensibly founded for civic improvement--use social capital to advance downtown urban development initiatives. This case study also explores how and the extent to which new social capital is generated by PCA and DPP through the processes of planning, designing, and implementing downtown development projects and the kinds of initiatives this social capital enables, whether and how the focus of downtown Phoenix development has shifted over time, the challenges facing contemporary downtown development and role PCA and DPP might play in addressing these issues, and recommended strategies for advancing future downtown development through social capital that evolves as downtown needs change. This dissertation contributes to the general understanding of how pivotal groups responsible for impacting downtown development and quality of life can become more effective in their roles by examining how they create networks pivotal to advancing urban downtown renewal. Research findings illuminate how community development groups can more effectively use networks to inspire downtown improvement. Findings emphasize the need to engage a broader downtown community, including both emerging and established organizations and those who desire to contribute to a diverse and exciting heart or city core.