Although systematic studies on trends in the size distributions of private human service organizations do not exist, most observers assume that the dominant trend parallels that of the U.S. economy’s movement to a higher proportion of smaller organizations. This article investigates this assumption and finds evidence that calls its validity into question. Explanations of the trend to larger organizations are offered, and it is suggested that more attention needs to be given to the repercussions of the presence in the private human services sector of higher numbers of large organizations.
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