The Scale of the Nonprofit Sector in Russian Regions: Differential Factors

The non-profit sector plays a significant role in various spheres of life, because it is present in many socially significant spheres. The non-profit sector is also a unique provider of public goods and a tool for representing the interests of various social groups. Therefore, many modern studies seek to explain the differences in size, its specificity and the reasons for growth or reduction. The case of the Russian non-profit sector is in many ways unique, as it is possible to consider the existing significant differences in the size of the non-profit sector and identify the factors influencing them using the example of 85 regions of one country. In the framework of this work, the three most common groups of theories about the origin and development of the nonprofit sector were analyzed: economic theory, the theory of state failure (heterogeneity) and the theory of social capital. The results of the study confirm the widespread notion of the positive impact of wealth and ethnic heterogeneity on the development of the nonprofit sector, but also indicate new ways for the development of the study and a more detailed examination of the Russian case.