Elite philanthropy—voluntary giving at scale by wealthy individuals, couples and families—is intimately bound up with the exercise of power by elites. This theoretically oriented review examines how big philanthropy in the United States and United Kingdom serves to extend elite control from the domain of the economic to the domains of the social and political, and with what results. Elite philanthropy, we argue, is not simply a benign force for good, born of altruism, but is heavily implicated in what we call the new age of inequalities, certainly as consequence and potentially as cause. Philanthropy at scale pays dividends to donors as much as it brings sustenance to beneficiaries. The research contribution we make is fourfold. First, we demonstrate that the true nature and effects of elite philanthropy can only be understood in the context of what Bourdieu calls the field of power, which maintains the economic, social and political hegemony of the super-rich, nationally and globally. Second, we demonstrate how elite philanthropy systemically concentrates power in the hands of mega foundations and the most prestigious endowed charitable organizations. Third, we explicate the similarities and differences between the four main types of elite philanthropy—institutionally supportive, market-oriented, developmental and transformational—revealing how and why different sections within the elite express themselves through philanthropy. Fourth, we show how elite philanthropy functions to lock in and perpetuate inequalities rather than remedying them. We conclude by outlining proposals for future research, recognizing that under-specification of constructs has hitherto limited the integration of philanthropy within the mainstream of management and organizational research.

中文翻译：

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不平等新时代的美英精英慈善事业

精英慈善事业——富人、夫妇和家庭的大规模自愿捐赠——与精英的权力行使密切相关。这篇以理论为导向的评论考察了美国和英国的大型慈善事业如何将精英控制从经济领域扩展到社会和政治领域，以及产生了什么结果。我们认为，精英慈善不仅是一种源于利他主义的向善的良性力量，而且与我们所说的不平等的新时代有着密切的关系，这当然是结果，也可能是原因。大规模的慈善事业在为受益人带来生计的同时，也为捐助者带来了红利。我们的研究贡献有四方面。第一的，我们证明，精英慈善事业的真正性质和影响只能在布迪厄所说的权力领域的背景下理解，权力领域在国家和全球范围内维持着超级富豪的经济、社会和政治霸权。其次，我们展示了精英慈善事业如何系统地将权力集中在大型基金会和最负盛名的慈善组织手中。第三，我们阐述了精英慈善的四种主要类型——制度支持型、市场导向型、发展型和转型型——之间的异同，揭示了精英中的不同部分如何以及为什么通过慈善来表达自己。第四，我们展示了精英慈善事业如何锁定和延续不平等而不是补救它们。