The State of Giving Research in Europe: Household donations to charitable organizations in twelve European countries

This publication is an output of a meeting held in January 2008 at VU University in Amsterdam, attended by many of the leading European academics who focus on charitable giving and philanthropy. This meeting was convened to establish a new European Research Network on Philanthropy (ERNOP), which seeks to increase the visibility and quality of philanthropic studies in Europe. Whilst every EU country has a philanthropic sector, and there is general agreement regarding the importance of understanding this area of activity, different definitions of philanthropy and different methodologies for collecting data have stymied attempts to generate pan-European findings. This publication is a first step in rationalizing knowledge about philanthropy across the continent. It contains information on household giving in 12 EU countries, written by a respected scholar working in each country. The editor, Pamala Wiepking, concludes that all 12 countries are undertaking serious studies of philanthropy but their ad hoc manner and lack of consistency makes it difficult to draw useful comparisons. However, it is hoped that ERNOP will facilitate more collaborative working and ensure that “there is a bright future for the study of philanthropy in Europe”.