Helmut Anheier

Helmut K. Anheier (born January 4, 1954) is a German-American academic. He is professor of sociology and past president of the Hertie School in Berlin. Until September 2019 he held a chair at the Max Weber Institute of Sociology, Heidelberg University, where he was also the Academic Director of the Center for Social Investment and Innovation.^[1] His research interests include civil society, social innovation, organizational theory, governance and policy research, social science methodology, including indicator models ^[2]

Anheier studied sociology and economics at the

Initially, Anheier published mainly on comparative sociology, economic sociology, and social network analysis, and in the 1990s, increasingly on nonprofit organizations in an international perspective. In the 2000s, he published mostly on civil society and its comparative measurement as well as on nonprofit management and policy more generally. In the 2010s, he has so far largely focused on three areas: the role of philanthropic foundations in the U.S. and Europe; social innovations; and governance research, especially governance indicator systems.

Overall, he has published over 450 academic publications, with articles in the top journals of sociological and policy research. His book Nonprofit Organizations has been described as the first fully comprehensive textbook in its field, and won a Best Book Award by the American Academy of Management. His work on civil society, too, did receive several awards. Not only these books but also "When Things Go Wrong" (Sage)^[5] and the Global Studies Encyclopedia (with Mark Juergensmayer, Sage) as well as the Global Civil Society Yearbook (with Mary Kaldor; Oxford University Press, Sage) became reference books in graduate programs in North America and Europe. His recent publications include several special journal issues on hybrid organizations and social innovation,^[6] US philanthropy (Brookings Press), and the Hertie School Governance Reports (Oxford University Press).

Anheier contributed to the conceptual and methodological foundations of nonprofit and civil society research in several ways, including the social origins theory (with Lester M Salamon), the Law on Nonprofit Complexity, and the term Creative Philanthropy (with Diana Leat). He was one of the founders of ISTR, the International Society for Third-Sector Research,^[7] initiated the United Nations Handbook on Nonprofit Institutions as part of the system of national accounts, founded two journals, Voluntas (journal) and the Journal of Civil Society,^[8] initiated several book series (amongst others: The Culture and Globalization Series Vol. 1-5 (Sage); the Global Studies Encyclopedia (Sage); the Global Civil Society Yearbook (Oxford)), pulled together a dictionary, the International Dictionary of Nonprofit and Nongovernmental Organizations with Regina List (Taylor & Francis); and co-edited the first international encyclopedia on civil society and nonprofits.^[9]

He holds both US and German citizenship, and is married to artist-designer Emilie Birlo-Anheier.

Selected bibliography

• Helmut K. Anheier. Nonprofit Organizations: Theory, Management and Policy. 2nd edition, fully revised and expanded. New York, NY, London: Routledge (2014).
• David Hammack and Helmut K. Anheier: A Versatile American Institution. Washington DC: The Brookings Institution Press (2013).
• Helmut K. Anheier (ed.): Governance Challenges & Innovations. Financial and Fiscal Governance. Oxford University Press (2013).
• Hertie School of Governance: The Governance Report. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Helmut K. Anheier: Principal Investigator and Coordinator) (2013).
• Helmut K. Anheier and Mark Juergensmeyer (eds.): Global Studies Encyclopedia. 5 Volumes. London, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage (2012).
• Helmut K. Anheier and Diana Leat: Creative Philanthropy. New York, London: Routledge (2006).
• Helmut K. Anheier and Regina List: International Dictionary of Nonprofit and Nongovernmental Organizations. London: Taylor & Francis (2005).

References