Synopses & Reviews
"Masterly on the way philanthropy works." -The New York Observer
For more than a century, the United States has stood as a beacon of prosperity and democracy, proof that big business and big dreams could flourish side by side. Yet few Americans realize the crucial role that generosity plays in keeping that fragile balance.
A leading voice for community development, scholar and former Connecticut College president Claire Gaudiani examines the crucial role of philanthropy in American prosperity. She traces the entrepreuneurial spirit of altruism, finding that generous gifts have powerfully invested in the most critical ingredients of the American economy: people, property, and ingenuity. Rather than pitting the capitalists against the populists, Gaudiani draws a blueprint for a just future, full of opportunities, based on giving.
The Greater Good is a passionate, pragmatic, and optimistic manifesto for revitalizing the promise of the American economy.
Claire Gaudiani, now a senior research scholar at Yale Law School, was president of Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut, from 1988 until 2001. She also served as volunteer president of the New London Development Corporation, which spearheaded the city's revitalization efforts.
For over a century, the United States has stood as a beacon of prosperity, innovation, generosity, and opportunity, proof that big business and big dreams can flourish side by side. But, at the turn of the twenty-first century, America faces stagnant growth, industry implosions, job displacement, an ever-widening income gap, oppressive debts, low civic involvement, and insular gated communities. What did we do right for so long, and what can we do to get back on course?
In The Greater Good, Claire Gaudiani, one of the nation's leading voices for community development, focuses our attention squarely on the money trail of the American dream. It's not that Americans have been generous because we're rich, she argues; we're rich because we have been generous. Philanthropists invest in people, property, and ideas long before businesses or the government come into the picture, and they play a crucial role in sustaining the fragile balance between capitalism and democracy.
In this provocative and engaging book, Gaudiani measures the visible and invisible impact of philanthropy in America, and shows how it has:
fostered a highly educated workforce for the service and information sectors,
created the bulk of opportunities for poor families to gain income and participate in the economy,
built stable, clean housing and thriving business and employment districts,
and launched major, risky research efforts that led to the birth of the aviation, pharmaceutical, and financial analysis industriesall fields where America leads the world.
Gaudiani also shows how early donors to such initiatives as scholarship funds, prison reform, museums, and medical studies started economic and social ripple effects by infusing capital in the very areas economists associate with accelerating economic growth: human, physical, and intellectual capital. A new commitment to entrepreneurial philanthropy, she argues, can play a similar role in the years to come if Americans are savvy enough to spur cutting-edge technologies and asset-building for the poornot through loans or tax breaks, but through gifts.
The Greater Good is a passionate, pragmatic, and, finally, optimistic manifesto for revitalizing the promise of the American economy.
"Masterly on the way philanthropy works."The New York Observer
"A convincing that American generosity is not just a product of the nation's wealth but also contributes significantly to building it."The Weekly Standard
"Having devoted many fruitful years of her adult life to higher education, a field in which she demonstrated extraordinary passion and sensibility, Claire Gaudiani is now, in this remarkable volume, teaching the multifaceted values of philanthropy and its benefits to both givers and receivers."Elie Wiesel
"Gaudiani provides a thoughtful analysis of the history of philanthropy in America, its effects on society, and why Americans are uniquely generous. As she examines the directions in which philanthropy must advance in the years ahead, she offers some stark alternatives that will demand the attention of our policymakers. Insightful."Edwin J. Feulner, president, The Heritage Foundation
"The Greater Good is essential reading for citizens, philanthropists, and corporate and government leaders. Gaudiani shows clearly how generosity is crucial in today's economy."Leonard A. Lauder, chairman, The Estée Lauder Companies
"Those two classic rivals, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, were right to agree that the 'pursuit of happiness' is America's key value. To this end, profit for profit's sake may well be less important to America than profit for philanthropy's sake. Gaudiani authoritatively and perceptively shows us why and how."Henry Luce III
"At a moment when too many rich Americans are using their wealth and power to tilt the playing field ever more in their own direction, this book reminds us that in other eras wealth and power have been used in other ways. One hopes it will prove not just a useful and fascinating history, but a real call to present-day responsibility."Bill McKibben, author of Enough
"[Gaudiani] builds her case carefully, pointing to the tremendous positive impact American philanthropy has had on human, physical, and intellectual capital, from the GI Bill and Sears Roebuck-founder Julius Rosenwald's construction of Chicago's famed Museum of Science and Industry to the formation of such nonprofits as MADD and Environmental Defense. To continue those kinds of contributions, she contends, demands eight different solutions, including making meaningful partnerships, plans that grow giving, more home ownership for low- and lower-middle-income citizens, and community centers, among others. [This book] is, indeed, an intelligent and well-reasoned argument designed to promote the greater good. And, on paper at least, it works."Booklist
Review
"Masterly on the way philanthropy works." The New York Observer
Review
"Gaudiani makes much of the idea that we need charity because we can't rely on government to fix our problems....Some will agree, some will not, but what can anyone really say against a book that suggests we all give more to charity?" Publishers Weekly
Review
"[A] simplistic analysis...[that] struggles feebly and unconvincingly to prove that capitalism cannot exist in the absence of philanthropy a silly argument and one she needn't have made. A paean to generosity would have sufficed." Los Angeles Times
Review
"[A]n intelligent and well-reasoned argument designed to promote the greater good. And, on paper at least, it works." Booklist
Review
"This is an eloquent and thoughtfully written work that sheds light on the cultural importance of American philanthropy. Recommended." Library Journal
Review
"As Gaudiani examines the directions in which philanthropy must advance in the years ahead, she offers some stark alternatives that will demand the attention of our policy makers. Insightful." Edwin J. Feulner, president, The Heritage Foundation
Synopsis
For more than a century, the United States has stood as a beacon of prosperity and democracy, proof that big business and big dreams could flourish side by side. Yet few Americans realize the crucial role that generosity plays in keeping that fragile balance.
A leading voice for community development, scholar and former Connecticut College president Claire Gaudiani examines the crucial role of philanthropy in American prosperity. She traces the entrepreuneurial spirit of altruism, finding that generous gifts have powerfully invested in the most critical ingredients of the American economy: people, property, and ingenuity. Rather than pitting the capitalists against the populists, Gaudiani draws a blueprint for a just future, full of opportunities, based on giving.
The Greater Good is a passionate, pragmatic, and optimistic manifesto for revitalizing the promise of the American economy.
Synopsis
A persuasive re-examination of American prosperity and the generosity that has built our nation.
For over a century, the United States has stood as a beacon of prosperity and democracy, proof that big business and big dreams could flourish side by side. Yet few Americans realize the crucial role that generosity plays in keeping that fragile balance. And now, with gated communities, oppressive personal debts, shrinking government, and tax and welfare reform crusades, that essential moral glue is at risk of melting away.
A leading voice for community development, former Connecticut College president and scholar Claire Gaudiani explores all these issues as she examines American prosperity from the Constitution to the New Economy bust. She traces the push and pull of the robber barons and the progressive movement, the New Deal and the postwar boom, and the Me Decade and the technology revolution, finding that altruism powerfully invests in people, property, and ingenuity. Rather than pitting the capitalists against the populists, Gaudiani brings both sides to the table to reseal this fundamental social contract and provide a blueprint for a just future.
The Greater Good is a passionate, pragmatic, and, finally, optimistic manifesto for revitalizing the promise of the American economy.
Synopsis
In Generosity Unbound, Claire Gaudiani mounts a spirited defense of philanthropic freedom addressed to conservatives, liberals and centrists. She acknowledges the good intentions of those who favor greater regulation of private philanthropy, but powerfully demonstrates the dangers of this approach.
But this book is more than a warning. Gaudiani also uncovers the fascinating history of philanthropy in America, showing how this nation’s distinctive tradition of citizen-to-citizen generosity has been a powerful engine of economic growth, social justice, and upward mobility.
Finally, Gaudiani calls on foundation leaders, legislators, and concerned citizens to take up anew the great challenge set forth by our nation’s Founders in the Declaration of Independence. She proposes an all-out citizen-led effort to deliver on the Declaration’s promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all of us, particularly our poorest citizens. The success of such a ‘Declaration Initiative’ would enable us to justly celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday on July 4th, 2026.
Synopsis
"Masterly on the way philanthropy works." -The New York Observer
For more than a century, the United States has stood as a beacon of prosperity and democracy, proof that big business and big dreams could flourish side by side. Yet few Americans realize the crucial role that generosity plays in keeping that fragile balance.
A leading voice for community development, scholar and former Connecticut College president Claire Gaudiani examines the crucial role of philanthropy in American prosperity. She traces the entrepreuneurial spirit of altruism, finding that generous gifts have powerfully invested in the most critical ingredients of the American economy: people, property, and ingenuity. Rather than pitting the capitalists against the populists, Gaudiani draws a blueprint for a just future, full of opportunities, based on giving.
The Greater Good is a passionate, pragmatic, and optimistic manifesto for revitalizing the promise of the American economy.
About the Author
Claire Gaudiani served as president of Connecticut College from 1988 until 2001 and continues to serve as volunteer president of the New London Development Corporation. She is currently a senior research scholar at Yale Law School and lives in Groton and New Haven,
Connecticut.