Ram A. Cnaan is a Professor and Director, Program for Religion and Social Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice. He is the founder and Faculty Director the Goldring Reentry Initiative which works to reduce recidivism. He is also a Global Eminent Scholar at Kyung Hee University Graduate Institute of Peace, South Korea. Professor Cnaan is the past president of ARNOVA (Association for Research on nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary action). He is the originator of the first practice doctoral degree in social work (DSW) which is now in its 10th year and replicated by some 12 schools nationwide. Processor Cnaan received his doctorate degree from the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh, and his B.S.W. and M.S.W. (both cum laude) from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. Professor Cnaan has published numerous articles in scientific journals on a variety of social issues (mainly faith-based organizations, volunteerism, social policy, and development) and serves on the editorial boards of 11 academic journals. He is the author or editor of eight academic books including The Other Philadelphia Story: How Local Congregations Support Quality of Life in Urban America (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006) and Cases in innovative nonprofits: Organizations that make a difference (Sage, 2014). Currently, professor Cnaan works on three new books: one on religious organization and society; one on community organizations; and one a family history project. In his spare time professor Cnaan collects and publish books on antique obsolete tools. He also collects Inuit prints. Professor Cnaan is considered an international expert in the areas of faith-based social care, volunteering, prisoners' reentry, and social policy. He lectures widely and teaches regularly in four countries. ways to mobilize small community organizations. As one of the original members of Yale's Program on Nonprofit Organizations, his niche in the nonprofit research community has been community organizations. He has authored several books on that subject and he has served as editor of the NONPROFIT AND VOLUNTARY SECTOR QUARTERLY. Milofsky also focuses on medical sociology, which is one of his main teaching areas. He is particularly interested in how community structures affect the health of residents and he partners in his work with professionals from local health and social welfare organizations.

The most comprehensive handbook about communities in the 21st century

Provides a deep understanding of community, community organization, and practical work within and for communities

Presents a variety of aspects of community from various disciplinary perspectives

Introductory Chapter; Ram Cnaan, Carl Milofsky and Albert Hunter.- Part I. History and Conceptualizations of Community.- Chapter 1. Conceptualizing Community; Albert Hunter.- Chapter 2. Community at Work: Sensing Community Through Needs Fulfillment and Responsibility; Neil Boyd and Branda Nowell.- Chapter 3. Community Climate: Adapting Climate Theory to the Study of Communities; Gil Luria, Amnon Boehm and Ram A. Cnaan.- Chapter 4. Reading Social Symbol Systems; Ben Marsh and Janet Jones.- Chapter 5. Community Elites or Community Elitism?: The Democratic Challenge of Empowering Community; Stephen Danley.- Chapter 6. Disengagement and Alienation in Modern American Institutions; Jennifer Silva.- Part II. Theoretical Concepts in community Organizations.- Chapter 7. Systemic Theories of Associations: Macro and Meso Approaches; Carl Milofsky.- Chapter 8. PCreating Participatory Democratic Decision-Making in Local Organizations; Joyce Rothschild.- Chapter 9. Client Authority in Nonprofit Human Service Organizations; Lehn M. Benjamin.- Chapter 10. Community-Labor Coalitions; Scott Harding and Louise Simmons.- Chapter 11. A Field Guide to Organizations "In the Wild:" Moving Beyond Restrictive Organization Theory for Associations; Jordi Comas.- Chapter 12. Legitimacy as the Basis for Organizational Development; Davide Gnes and Floris Vermeulen.- Chapter 13. About the Localized Social Movement; Randy Stoecker.- Chapter 14. Volunteers in Community Organizations; Christopher J. Einolf.- Chapter 15. Community Practice and Community Organization: A Conceptual Understanding; Haya Itzhaky and Edna Bustin.- Chapter 16. Community Empowerment; Stephen W. Stoeffler.- Chapter 17. Contested Community: A Selected and Critical History of Community Organizing; Robert Fischer, James DeFilippis and Eric Shragge.- Chapter 18. Alinsky Style Organizing;Margaret A. Post.- Chapter 19. Self Help Organized Through Mutual Assistance in Helping Communities; Steven P. Segal.- Chapter 20. Promoting Spatial Inclusion: How Everyday Places Signal Who is Welcome; Amy Hillier.- Chapter 21. Intentional Sub-Communities and Identity Continuity among Baby Boomers: Grateful Dead Fans; Rebecca G. Adams and Justin T. Harmon.- Chapter 22. Hometown Associations and Transnational Community Development; Deepak Lamba-Nieves.- Chapter 23. The Community Resilience Approach to Disaster Recovery: