The Handbook on Philanthropy and Social Policy, a 428-page book edited by Roosa Lambin, Jonathan Roberts, and Rebecca Surender, is a timely and valuable contribution to current debates about the changing landscape of philanthropy, social welfare, governance, and public responsibility. Bringing together comparative and interdisciplinary scholarship on philanthropy in various social policy sectors, countries, and global regions, this volume treats philanthropic institutions not as peripheral charitable actors or passive supplements to the welfare state, but as active social policy instruments and increasingly influential forces in the making, financing, implementing, and reshaping of social policy and contemporary welfare states.

The book is organized into four sections. Part I: Social Policy and Philanthropy: Origins and Progression introduces the key concepts and framework of the book and reviews the historical and contemporary role of philanthropy in the traditional welfare nexus and its relationship with the state and the third sector. Part 2: Sectors, Services, and Policy Instrument provides a detailed account of how different philanthropies have financed and shaped programs in different social policy fields, such as health, education, housing, market creation, women’s empowerment, financial inclusion, climate, and social impact bonds, and their impact as well as issues to be concerned about. Part III: The Role and Impact of Philanthropy in the Global South offers case studies of how philanthropies are involved in welfare services in developing countries and regions, and how this shapes welfare arrangements and social policies in these areas. Part IV: Critical Issues and Emerging Debates examines the issues of power, legitimacy, philanthropy capture, accountability, sustainability, and empowerment related to the expanded role of philanthropy in social policy and discusses its implications for the future of welfare states.

One of the handbook’s major strengths is its balanced view on philanthropy. Moving beyond the traditional normative dichotomous view of big philanthropy as either a purely altruistic and unproblematic public good or an inherently conspiratorial and anti-democratic force, the contributors examine its ambivalent role with care. It helps readers understand how private giving intersects with public systems, sometimes filling gaps in service provision, sometimes reshaping policy priorities, and sometimes reinforcing inequalities of voice and power. The collection shows how big philanthropy can both support and unsettle social policy. It may provide resources, foster innovations, and promote advocacy, yet it can also concentrate agenda-setting power in the hands of wealthy individuals, corporations, and foundations. This balanced critical stance gives the collection much of its force.

Another strength is the volume’s breadth in covering philanthropy’s roles in diverse social policy areas and regions as previously mentioned, which allows readers to see philanthropy not as a single institutional form, but as a set of private giving practices embedded in different political economies and policy arenas. The collection’s attention to the Global South is particularly valuable. Extensive case studies from China, India, South America, Nigeria, Iran, Lebanon, Turkey, and Africa broaden a field that has long been dominated by Global North examples.

As with many edited handbooks, the volume’s breadth can sometimes come at the expense of a single sustained argument. As different scholars contribute individual chapters, the arguments, geographical focus, and analytical approaches vary considerably. Some readers may wish for more explicit and structured comparison across chapters or a stronger concluding synthesis of the tensions and debates that recur throughout the book. Even so, the diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives presented in this volume remain one of its virtues, giving students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers multiple entry points into a complex and rapidly developing field.

Overall, the Handbook is an indispensable reference for anyone seeking to understand philanthropy’s expanding role in contemporary welfare systems, or broadly the modern mechanics of private influence over public goods. It is rigorous, wide-ranging, and appropriately critical, offering neither celebration nor dismissal, but a nuanced account of how philanthropy shapes social policy across sectors, regions, and scales. For students of philanthropy and social policy in particular, this book provides both a useful introduction to the field and a strong foundation for further critical discussion.