At #ISTR2022 The session ‘Philanthropy in Ukraine, Russia, and Africa’ discussed different forms of philanthropy in comparative perspective. The first presentation of Wycliffe Nduga Ouma of the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment presents a comparative analysis that studied how philanthropy is provided in African countries. Wycliffe presented a framework for measuring philanthropy and giving in Africa.

From the literature it is know that philanthropy in Africa is communal and thus rather horizontal in comparison to other setting. Consequently, there are still many open questions with regard to philanthropy in Africa. The framework includes the legal and regulatory environment, the giving behavior and the type of giving (individual giving, community, corporate giving and religious giving). The objective of the study is to understand the impact of the macro-environment on the giving behavior. The researchers apply the social origins theory (focusing on the relationship between state-market and the voluntary sector) and the theory of chance to ensure monitoring, evaluation and continuity of the project. Wycliffe presented the theoretical framework and the instrument of the research study which is part of a long-term project.

Liubov Rainchuk of the Zagoriy Foundation focused on the development of charitable giving in Ukraine. The Zagoriy Foundation conducted a survey to understand how Ukrainian citizens perceive charitable giving. This survey includes priority areas and public perceptions of donors, including individual donors and foundations, motivations and barriers for giving. The main barriers for charitable giving include a low level of income and/or time or a lack of trust in the institution of charitable foundations. Liubov concluded that charitable giving has gained momentum in Ukraine. The percentage of Ukrainians who have donated over the past three months has increased. However, the trust in charitable foundations in Ukraine is still relatively low.

Ulla Pape of Free University Berlin and Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences focused on corporate philanthropy and regional development in Russia. The presentation concluded that Russian companies provide philanthropy through socio-economic cooperation agreements, grant competition for social organizations and corporate volunteering and other social programs for employees. Ulla concluded that corporate social programs address social inequalities, but have only a limited impact on socio-economic development in the regions, as they focus solely on the companies’ operation areas and their thematic priorities. After the three presentations, a lively discussion ensued. Questions from the audience focused on the role of the diaspora in charitable giving, the use of corporate social programs for regime legitimacy the challenges of measuring charitable giving, and online channels for giving.

Dr. Ulla Pape Otto, Suhr Institute of Political Science, Freie Universität Berlin

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