Some things I’ve put out into the world.

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2024. “Philanthropy by the Numbers: Measurable Impact and Its Civic Discontents.” The Hedgehog Review 26(3, In Need of Repair): 94–107 (link)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2024. “Building Solidarity for Transformative Social Change.” Stanford Social Innovation Review (link)

  • Horvath, Aaron and Micah McElroy. 2024. “How Trust Works and To Whom It Is Owed.” Bridgespan Insights (link)

  • Brown, Maoz (Michael) and Aaron Horvath. 2024. “Charity Navigator’s Ratings Are Inherently Flawed. Here’s a Simple Solution.” The Chronicle of Philanthropy (link)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2023. “Civil Society By The Numbers? Nonprofits, Accountability, and the Creative Politics of Quantitative Discipline.” HistPhil.org (link)

  • Horvath, Aaron and Micah McElroy. 2023. “Good Apples from a Rotten Tree.” Alliance Magazine (June): 52–55 (link)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2023. “Your Package Has Been Delivered.” Current Affairs 8(2): 32–36 (link)

  • Brandtner, Christof, Walter W. Powell, and A. Horvath. 2023. “From iron cage to glass house: Repurposing of bureaucratic management and the turn to openness.” Organization Studies (online first, pdf)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2023. “Organizational supererogation and the transformation of nonprofit accountability.” American Journal of Sociology 128(4):1031–1036 (pdf)

    - Granovetter Award, Honorable Mention, Economic Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association (2024)

    - Scott Award, Honorable Mention, Occupations, Organizations, and Work Section of the American Sociological Association (2024)

    - Burt Award, Economic Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association (2020)

    - Shils–Coleman Award, Theory Section of the American Sociological Association (2020)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2022. “Counting Alone?” pp 26–30 in Lucy Bernholz (ed.) Philanthropy and Digital Civil Society: Blueprint 2023 (pdf)

  • Horvath, Aaron, and Jean Lin. 2022. Statement for the Record, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Hearing on Examining Charitable Giving and Trends in the Nonprofit Sector, March 17, 2022 (pdf)

  • Horvath, Aaron, and Jean Lin. 2021. “Innovative Inclusion or Civic Exclusion? The Response of Nonprofit Organizations to the COVID-19 Pandemic” Final report to the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (pdf)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2021. From the Socialism of Intelligence to the Aristocracy of Knowledge: Administrative Practice and Political Authority in American Democracy, 1905–1921. Doctoral Dissertation, Stanford University (pdf)

    - Chap. 1. Democracy and its Administrative Contradictions (pdf)

    - Chap. 2. “The City Invites You To See How Your Money Is Spent” (pdf)

    - Chap. 3. A Mistaken Theory of Government (pdf)

    - Chap. 4. College Boy Versus Jasper Gerflump, or, Budgeting and Responsible Citizenship (pdf)

    - Chap. 5. Toward An Organizational Sociology Of Democracy (pdf)

  • Horvath, Aaron and Jean Lin. 2020. “How Civic Organizations Are Helping to Fight COVID-19.” Boston Review

  • Horvath, Aaron, and Walter W. Powell. 2020. “Seeing Like a Philanthropist: From the Business of Benevolence to the Benevolence of Business” in The Nonprofit Sector: A Research Handbook, Stanford University Press (pdf)

  • Brandtner, Christof, Horvath, Aaron, Laryea, Krystal., Powell, Walter W., Trinh, Elizabeth., Wei, Qian., & Zhao, Yi. 2020. Survey of civil society organizations in San Francisco Bay Area (3rd wave) [dataset]. Civic Life of Cities Lab at Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. (link)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2020. “Seeing Like a Philanthropist: An organizational sociology of philanthropic history” HistPhil.org (link)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2020. “History and Challenges of American Philanthropy: A Primer.” The James Irvine Foundation (pdf)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2019. “Disappearing the People: Democracy’s Org Chart.” Baruch College, An Adventure in Democracy

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2019. “Common Measures and the Common Good.“ Invited essay, Network for European Foundations, Redefining Pursuit of the Common Good (pdf)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2019. “The Transformative Potential of Experience: Learning, Group Dynamics, and the Development of Civic Virtue in a Mobile Soup Kitchen.” Voluntas 31:981-994 (pdf)

  • Horvath, Aaron, Christof Brandtner, Walter W. Powell. 2018. “Serve or Conserve: Mission, Strategy, and Multi-Level Nonprofit Change During the Great Recession” Voluntas 29(5): 976-993 (pdf)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2018. “Ideals of Order: The social transformation of good government in the United States, 1870-1969.” Working paper (pdf)

  • Horvath, Aaron, and Walter W. Powell. 2016. ”Contributory or Disruptive: Do New Forms of Philanthropy Erode Democracy?” in Philanthropy in Democratic Societies, Chicago University Press (pdf)

    - Featured on The Philanthropy Project’s “Worth Reading” page (link)

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2016. “Disruptive Philanthropy?” HistPhil.org (link)

  • Powell, Walter W., Aaron Horvath, Christof Brandtner. 2016. “Click and Mortar: Organizations on the Web.” Research in Organizational Behavior 36:101–20 (pdf)

  • Young, Cristobal, and Aaron Horvath. 2015. ”Sociologists need to be better at replication” OrgTheory.net

  • Horvath, Aaron. 2013. “Deterring Gang Violence by Building Connections Across Crews.” Urban Wire

  • Parker, Scott, Kamala Mallik-Kane, and Aaron Horvath. 2013. “Opportunities for Information Sharing to Enhance Health and Public Safety Outcomes.” Criminal Justice and Health Collaboration Project

  • Schaenman, Phil and Aaron Horvath. 2013. “Opportunities for Police Cost Savings Without Sacrificing Service Quality: Reducing Fuel Consumption.” Urban Institute

  • Jannetta, Jesse, S. Rebecca Neusteter, Elizabeth Davies, and Aaron Horvath. 2012. “Transition from Prison to Community Initiative: Process Evaluation Final Report.” Urban Institute

  • Fontaine, Jocelyn, Douglas Gilchrist-Scott , and Aaron Horvath. 2012. “Supportive Housing for the Disabled Reentry Population.” Urban Institute

  • Jannetta, Jesse, and Aaron Horvath. 2012. “Surveying the Field: State-Level Findings from the 2008 Parole Practices Survey.” Urban Institute