Consensus Formation in Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies: Networks, Reputation, and Gender

The research field of nonprofits and philanthropy has grown exponentially. To what extent do nonprofit scholars share a common language? Answering this question is crucial to assessing the field’s intellectual cohesiveness. We studied how coauthor networks, scholarly reputation, prevalence female authors influence consensus formation. found that degree for all major topics in increased over time—For every 10% growth volume literature, shared language by 1.4%. A cohesive community on been forming since early 2000s. Female are fewer number less cited than males; their presence did not exceed 40% most topics. citation counts small-world property networks positively associated with consensus, suggesting star researchers knowledge brokers bridging different communities key sharing interests language.