Giving Compass' Take:

• This Alliance Magazine article (via India Development Review) discusses how technology-based managerial solutions for complex social issues separate the problem from its context.

• Are we doing enough to engage with communities and strengthen civil society, rather than chase the next disruptive tool? How might we gain a better perspective on the people we aim to serve?

• Check out this blueprint for philanthropy and digital civil society in 2019.

Many would argue that the philanthropic capital being generated is part and parcel of a ruthless economic order which concentrates profit and wealth in the hands of few. Therefore, turning to the super-rich for salvation to society’s problems poses real ethical dilemmas. But alongside that question, there are also worrying signs about how philanthropy’s growing influence is shaping narratives about global social change.

Philanthropy primarily operates through civil society and civil society, by design, plays a critical role in the architecture of modern democracies. In these times of dramatic change in democracy, development and politics, the impact of philanthropy on shaping civil society deserves more scrutiny.

My fear is that two distinct civil society spheres are emerging, working in parallel and at times at cross-purposes. One sphere embodies the values and principles of the older non-profits and other collectives including social movements, mass organizations and community-based groups. The second sphere is located in the market and technology spaces and is being rapidly populated by new-age non-profits, social enterprises and online collectives.

Read the full article about social enterprise eroding civil society by Amitabh Behar at India Development Review.