James Ferris

Emery Evans Olson Chair in Non-Profit Entrepreneurship and Public Policy and Professor of Public Policy and Political Science

Email jferris@usc.edu Office RGL 210 Office Phone (213) 740-0388

Research & Practice Areas

Philanthropy and public policy, nonprofit entrepreneurship and the volunteer sector

Summary Statement of Research Interests

Professor Ferris’ research examines the shifting roles of the public, nonprofit and for-profit sectors in governance and the economy. He has done extensive work on public service delivery, focusing on the contracting decisions of local governments and strategies to improve public sector performance through competition, decentralization, and privatization. His current work examines nonprofit to forprofit conversions in the health care industry; the changing landscape of philanthropy; and intersectoral partnerships and alliances for urban problem solving.