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Encouraging a Spatial Perspective in Third Sector Studies: Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis and Spatial Regression Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Heather MacIndoe Open the ORCID record for Heather MacIndoe [Opens in a new window]  and
Deirdre Oakley
Heather MacIndoe*
Affiliation:
University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrisey Blvd, Boston, MA 02144, USA
Deirdre Oakley
Affiliation:
Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
*
heather.macindoe@umb.edu
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Abstract

Geographic space or location is an important aspect of many research topics in the third sector. Methodological advances have made it possible for scholars to better identify, assess, and account for the spatial aspects of their data. Such advances include Geographic Information System descriptive mapping of items such as density and location, Explorative Spatial Data Analysis, and Spatial Regression Analysis. This paper reviews a range of third-sector research questions that can be addressed with spatial analysis. We then briefly summarize social science and nonprofit scholarship as they relate to spatial analysis. We conclude by describing an exploratory spatial statistic as well as a spatial regression that can be used to illustrate the usefulness of these techniques.

Keywords

Exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA)Spatial autocorrelationSpatial analysisLocal Moran’s ISpatial regression

Information

Type
Research Papers
Information
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations , Volume 34 , Issue 1 , February 2023 , pp. 64 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © International Society for Third-Sector Research 2022

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References

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