Difference between revisions of "Classification of NGOs"

From NGO Handbook
(ISIC classification of NGOs)
(United Nations International Standard Industrial Classification)
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These are commonly referred to using their acronyms provided above. This article will attempt to provide a comprehensive review of these classification schemes. <membersonly>
 
These are commonly referred to using their acronyms provided above. This article will attempt to provide a comprehensive review of these classification schemes. <membersonly>
  
===United Nations International Standard Industrial Classification===
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==United Nations International Standard Industrial Classification==
====History and Purpose====
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===History and Purpose===
 
The United Nations International Standard Industrial Classification scheme, or ISIC, is not specifically used to classify NGOs, but instead, is a standard classification system adopted in 1948 to arrange entities according to their economic activity. ISIC is a basic tool for studying economic phenomena, fostering international comparability of data and for promoting the development of sound national statistical systems.  
 
The United Nations International Standard Industrial Classification scheme, or ISIC, is not specifically used to classify NGOs, but instead, is a standard classification system adopted in 1948 to arrange entities according to their economic activity. ISIC is a basic tool for studying economic phenomena, fostering international comparability of data and for promoting the development of sound national statistical systems.  
  
====Structure====
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===Structure===
  
 
The ISIC groups establishments into 17 sections:
 
The ISIC groups establishments into 17 sections:
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The ISIC has evolved over the last five decades due to the contributions of several statisticians from around the world. It is widely used, “both nationally and internationally, in classifying data according to the kind of economic activity in the fields of population, production, employment, gross domestic product and other economic activities” (United Nations Statistics Division).  
 
The ISIC has evolved over the last five decades due to the contributions of several statisticians from around the world. It is widely used, “both nationally and internationally, in classifying data according to the kind of economic activity in the fields of population, production, employment, gross domestic product and other economic activities” (United Nations Statistics Division).  
  
====ISIC classification of NGOs====
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===ISIC classification of NGOs===
  
 
The ISIC does not have a specific group or section for non-governmental organizations. Instead, these organizations are included in three broad categories: “Education,” “Health and Social Work,” and “Other Community, Social, and Personal Activities.” The “Health and Social Work” category “groups a broad range of social welfare activities from counseling to adoption assistance to rehabilitation assistance” (Salomon and Anheier 1992), while the “Other Community, Social, and Personal Activities" includes activities ranging “from trade unions to libraries, museums, and religious congregations.” (Salomon and Anheier 1992) The ISIC “excludes organizations that receive half or more of their income from fees or government support” (Salomon and Anheier 1992) due to which most US nonprofit hospitals and universities are not considered to be nongovernmental organizations under the classification scheme.
 
The ISIC does not have a specific group or section for non-governmental organizations. Instead, these organizations are included in three broad categories: “Education,” “Health and Social Work,” and “Other Community, Social, and Personal Activities.” The “Health and Social Work” category “groups a broad range of social welfare activities from counseling to adoption assistance to rehabilitation assistance” (Salomon and Anheier 1992), while the “Other Community, Social, and Personal Activities" includes activities ranging “from trade unions to libraries, museums, and religious congregations.” (Salomon and Anheier 1992) The ISIC “excludes organizations that receive half or more of their income from fees or government support” (Salomon and Anheier 1992) due to which most US nonprofit hospitals and universities are not considered to be nongovernmental organizations under the classification scheme.

Revision as of 09:44, 4 August 2008

Introduction

There are four general schemes used to classify Non Governmental Organizations. These include:

  • United Nations International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC)
  • General Industrial Classification of Economic Activities (NACE)
  • National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE)
  • International Classification of Nonprofit Organizations (ICNO)

These are commonly referred to using their acronyms provided above. This article will attempt to provide a comprehensive review of these classification schemes.


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