Current theories on the origin of the nonprofit sector do not adequately explain changes in the relative scale of social welfare service provision by the state versus private nonprofit entities. French and Japanese experiences illustrate that nations can undergo significant change, cycling through periods of expansion then restriction of the legal status and role of the nonprofit sector. This article considers the potential for legitimation strategies to explain the shifts in nonprofit status in France and Japan. The article concludes that although some theoretical foundation exists on legitimation concepts, additional work needs to be done to derive a sufficient theory of how legitimation issues affect change in the nonprofit sector.
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