Abstract
Individuals seek food assistance from both government and nongovernmental services. The theory of voluntary sector failure asserts that governments act where nonprofits fail. How, if at all, does this theoretical approach provide insight into basic food provision through food pantries? We conducted a single embedded case study of one network of food pantry programs (n = 298) in one county of approximately 3 million people in the southwest of the USA. We used a survey (n = 137) to measure programmatic and organizational capacity and, then, categorized capacity measures into the four failure categories identified in the theory of voluntary sector failure. We found moderate to strong evidence of failure in all of the categories; however, we also argue that these data do not necessarily support the theory of voluntary sector failure. Two key nuances are identified.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
This survey was originally designed for a regional evaluation project.
References
Barrett, C. (2010). Measuring food insecurity. Science, 327(5967), 825–828.
Bhattarai, G. R., Duffy, P. A., & Raymond, J. (2005). Use of food pantries and food stamps in low-income households in the United States. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 39(2), 276–298. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6606.2005.00015.x.
Brinkerhoff, J. M. (2002). Government-nonprofit partnership: A defining framework. Public Administration and Development, 22(1), 19–30.
Brinkerhoff, J. M., & Brinkerhoff, D. W. (2002). Government-nonprofit relations in comparative perspective: Evolution, themes, and new directions. Public Administration and Development, 22(1), 3–18.
Brown, M., & Hale, K. (2014). Applied research methods in public and nonprofit organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
City News Service. (2018). New record: San Diego median home price now $570,000. Retrieved from http://www.kpbs.org/news/2018/may/23/sd-county-home-prices-spike-up-as-socal-median/. Accessed 11 June 2017.
Crampton, P., Woodward, A., & Dowell, A. (2001). The role of the third sector in providing primary care services-theoretical and policy issues. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 17, 1–21.
Daponte, B. O. (2000). Private versus public relief: Use of food pantries versus food stamps among poor households. Journal of Nutrition Education, 32(2), 72–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3182(00)70523-1.
Dodd, W., & Nelson, E. (2018). Shifting discourse and practice on food banks: Insights from a community–university partnership. Voluntas. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-018-0012-0.
Dollery, B., & Wallis, J. (2004). Economic approaches to the voluntary sector: A note on voluntary failure and human service delivery. International Review of Public Administration, 8(2), 25–31.
Frumkin, P. (2002). On being nonprofit. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Haering, S., & Syed, S. (2009). Community food security in United States cities: A survey of the relevant scientific literature. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. Retrieved from http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkinscenter-for-a-livable-future/_pdf/research/clf_reports/FS_Literature%20Booklet.pdf. Accessed 11 May 2017.
Hagar, M. A., Wilson, S., Pollak, T. H., & Rooney, P. M. (2003). Response rate for mail surveys of nonprofit organizations: A review and empirical test. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 32(2), 252–267.
King, M. F., & Bruner, G. C. (1999). Social desirability bias: A neglected aspect of validity testing. Psychology & Marketing, 17(2), 79–103.
Kissane, R. J. (2003). What’s need got to do with it-barriers to use of nonprofit social services. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 30, 127.
McCambridge, R., & Salamon, L. (2003) In, but not of, the market: The special challenge of nonprofit-ness. Nonprofit Quarterly. Retrieved from https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2003/03/21/in-but-not-of-the-market-the-special-challenge-of-nonprofit-ness/. Accessed 11 July 2017.
Mizrahi, S. (2012). Self-provision of public services: Its evolution and impact. Public Administration Review, 72(2), 285–291.
Olson, L. M., Reis, J., Murphy, L., & Gehm, J. H. (1988). The religious community as a partner in health care. Journal of Community Health, 13(4), 249–257.
Poppendieck, J. (1999). Sweet charity?: Emergency food and the end of entitlement. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
Precious, C., & Baker, K. (2017). Coping with compassion: Role transformation amongst Oregon food pantry directors. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 28(5), 2011–2031.
Radimer, K. L. (2002). Measurement of household food security in the USA and other industrialised countries. Public Health Nutrition, 5(6A), 859–864.
Robbins, G., & Lapsley, I. (2008). Irish voluntary hospitals: An examination of a theory of voluntary failure. Accounting, Business & Financial History, 18(1), 61–80.
Saidel, J. (1991). Resource interdependence: The relationship between state agencies and nonprofit organizations. Public Administration Review, 51(6), 543–553.
Salamon, L. M. (1987). Of market failure, voluntary failure, and third-party government: Toward a theory of government-nonprofit relations in the modern welfare state. Journal of Voluntary Action Research, 16(1–2), 29–49.
Salamon, L. M., & Anheier, H. K. (1998). Social origins of civil society: Explaining the nonprofit sector cross-nationally. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 9(3), 213–248.
Salamon, L. M., & Toepler, S. (2015). Government-nonprofit cooperation: Anomaly or necessity? VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 26(6), 2155–2177.
Smith, S., & Lipsky, M. (1993). Nonprofits for hire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Tarasuk, V. S., & Beaton, G. H. (1999). Household food insecurity and hunger among families using food banks. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 90(2), 109–113.
Tarasuk, V., & Eakin, J. M. (2003). Charitable food assistance as symbolic gesture: An ethnographic study of food banks in Ontario. Social Science and Medicine, 56(7), 1505–1515. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00152-1.
San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. (n.d.). Regional and community data. Retrieved from http://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/phs/community_health_statistics/regional-community-data.html. Accessed 11 May 2017.
U.S. Census. (2017). QuickFacts: San Diego county, California. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sandiegocountycalifornia,ca/PST045217. Accessed 11 May 2017.
USDA (n.d.). Food security status of U.S. households 2017. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx#foodsecure. Accessed 11 May 2017.
Weisbrod, B. A. (1978). Problems of enhancing the public interest: Toward a model of governmental failures. In B. A. Weisbrod, J. F. Handler, & N. K. Komesar (Eds.), Public interest law. London: University of California Press.
Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc.
Young, D. (2000). Alternative models of government-nonprofit sector relations: Theoretical and international perspectives. Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 29(1), 149–172.
Acknowledgements
Generous support for this research was provided by Mr. Vince Kasperick and the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research at the University of San Diego. The authors wish to thank Dr. Mary Jo Schumann, Pat Libby, Crystal Trull, and Chelsea Carnes for their technical contributions to this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jones, J.A., Deitrick, L. Does the Theory of Voluntary Sector Failure Provide Insight into Food Pantries? A Case Study of a Network of Food Pantries in San Diego, CA. Voluntas 31, 870–880 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-018-00047-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-018-00047-7