The Significance of 501(c) Status Among Environmental Nonprofits Engaged in Oil and Gas Policy Debates

Authors

  • Jennifer A. Kagan University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20899/jpna.8.2.217-238

Keywords:

Nonprofit Advocacy, 501(c), Environmental Policy

Abstract

This paper examines the advocacy activities of 30 environmental nonprofits engaged in oil and gas policy debates. Because 501(c)(3) organizations are restricted or prohibited from engaging in certain types of advocacy, the literature typically considers 501(c)(3) organizations service providers and 501(c)(4)s advocacy organizations. This study looks at whether this dichotomy holds among a group of organizations that actively advocates and examines the implications of 501(c) status. Data come from surveys of organizations active in hydraulic fracturing policy debates, along with organizations’ Form 990s and websites. Results obtained through statistical analyses and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) indicate that the environmental nonprofits actively advocate and report doing so relatively effectively. Furthermore, this research uncovers new patterns in advocacy tactics and the organizations that use them by analyzing advocacy participation and effectiveness separately and through QCA.

Author Biography

  • Jennifer A. Kagan, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

    Jennifer A. Kagan is Assistant Professor in the Public Administration Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her research lies at the intersection of nonprofit management and environmental policy. Having practiced law for a number of years, her work incorporates legal issues into questions involving representation, nonprofit advocacy, and environmental policymaking. 

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Published

2022-07-05

Issue

Section

Research Articles

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