The International Journal
of Not-for-Profit Law
Volume 8, Issue 2, November 2005
A publication of the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law
Public Benefit Commissions
The Public Benefit Commission: A Comparative Overview
David Moore
Charity Commission for England and Wales
Richard Fries
Moldovan Certification Commission
Ilya Trombitsky
Armenian Governmental Commission Regulating Charitable Programs
Tatshat Stepanyan
Articles
From Elections to Democracy in Central Europe: Public Participation and the Role of Civil Society
Susan Rose-Ackerman
Reinventing Liberia: Civil Society, Governance, and a Nation's Post-War Recovery
J. Peter Pham
The Law of Zakat Management and Non-Governmental Zakat Collectors in Indonesia
Alfitri
The Power Shift and the NGO Credibility Crisis
James McGann and Mary Johnstone
Annus Horribilis for Smaller Nonprofits: Restoring Hope Through Building Donor Resiliency
Charles Maclean and Jim Moore
Review
Understanding Organizational Sustainability Through African Proverbs: Insights for Leaders and Facilitators
By Chiku Malunga, with Charles Banda
Reviewed by Emeka Iheme
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Letter from the Editor
This issue of The International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law features a special section on Public Benefit Commissions, which decide whether a particular NGO is entitled to tax relief or other benefits. We open with an overview by David Moore, followed by studies of the varying commission structures and experiences in England and Wales, by Richard Fries; Moldova, by Ilya Trombitsky; and Armenia, by Tatshat Stepanyan.
Leading off our other articles, Susan Rose-Ackerman examines Poland and Hungary's nascent civil society organizations and the obstacles they face, particularly in seeking to influence public policy. Next, J. Peter Pham assesses civil society's role in bringing order to long-troubled Liberia, which recently inaugurated the first woman elected to head an African nation. Alfitri explains zakat, the Muslim obligation to contribute particular amounts to particular beneficiaries, and Indonesia's 1999 law regulating its collection by private parties. James McGann and Mary Johnstone argue that NGOs now confront a worldwide credibility crisis, but not an irremediable one. Using data from an informal survey, Charles B. Maclean and Jim Moore show how natural disasters diverted major resources from smaller American nonprofits in 2005, and propose five steps to reduce the impact of future disasters. In Understanding Organizational Sustainability Through African Proverbs, finally, reviewer Emeka Iheme finds a good deal of wise counsel, but also the blind reverence for ancient teachings that too often impedes African progress.
We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Brown Journal of World Affairs, HTML masters Kareem Elbayar and Erin Means, IJNL volunteer Asad Kudiya, and, especially, our deeply knowledgeable and generous authors.
Stephen Bates
Editor
International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law
sbates@icnl.org