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A system in which charitable giving, fundraising, and humanitarian aid operate as an economic sector with its own flows of capital, labor, and value. In the charity economy, donations become transactions, recipients become markets, and altruism is monetized. Organizations compete for donor dollars, overhead is optimized, and success is measured in funds raised rather than problems solved. The charity economy often reproduces the inequalities it claims to address: wealthy donors gain influence, professional aid workers earn salaries, while recipients remain dependent. It’s capitalism with a compassionate face.
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