This paper broadly evaluates the role and performance of non-governmental organizations (NGDOs) in promoting social development before and since the 1995 World Summit for Social Development. Two kinds of analysis and recommendations are offered. Firstly it concerns the practices of NGDOs and their relationships with other partners in development. Secondly it touches on the deep-rooted pathologies of the aid system that condition the form and effectiveness of the NGDOs and the development entities. In conclusion, the report points out in the absence of thorough reforms. The aid system will continue to hinder mobilization by the larger civil society with NGDOs to about genuine development in the Third World. ( Adapted from the summary).
The rise of neo-liberalism and the so-called Washington Consensus have generated a powerful international ideology concerning what constitutes good governance, democratization, and the proper roles of the State and civil society in advancing development. As public spending has declined, the nongovernment sector has benefited very significantly from taking on a service-delivery role. At the same time, NGOs, as representatives of civil society, are a convenient channel through which official agencies can promote political pluralism. But can NGOs simultaneously facilitate governments’ withdrawal from providing basic services for all and also claim to represent and speak for the poor and the disenfranchised? The chapters describe some of the tensions inherent in the roles being played by NGOs, and asks whether these organizations truly stand for anything fundamentally different from the agencies on whose largesse they increasingly depend.
Since the book was first published, NGOs have continued to rise in prominence, but our concerns have been little redressed. The new Preface and Afterword to this IPE Classic provide an up to date review of the debates on NGOs and the development sector that consolidate on this argument and look briefly at some of the reactions it has received.
At a time when uneven power dynamics are high on development actors’ agenda, this book will be an important contribution to researchers and practitioners working on innovation in development and civil society. While there is much discussion of localization, decolonization and ‘shifting power’ in civil society collaborations in development, the debate thus far centers on the aid system. This book directs attention to CSOs as drivers of development in various contexts that we refer to as the Global South. This book take a transformative stance, reimagining roles, relations and processes. It does so from five complementary angles: (1) Southern CSOs reclaiming the lead, 2) displacement of the North–South dyad, (3) Southern-centred questions, (4) new roles for Northern actors, and (5) new starting points for collaboration. The book relativizes international collaboration, asking INGOs, Northern CSOs, and their donors to follow Southern CSOs’ leads, recognizing their contextually geared perspectives, agendas, resources, capacities, and ways of working. Based in 19 empirically grounded chapters, the book also offers an agenda for further research, design, and experimentation. Emphasizing the need to ‘Start from the South’ this book thus re-imagines and re-centers Civil Society collaborations in development, offering Southern-centred ways of understanding and developing relations, roles, and processes, in theory and practice. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. Funded by Wageningen University.
The first edition of this book was published in 2001 by Routledge and was the first academic text on the important new emerging field of NGO management. It sets out the field for researchers with a new and original conceptual framework, contains a comprehensive review of existing literature from a variety of disciplines (including management, development studies, and social policy) and provides wide-ranging examples from the author’s own practical and research experience. New to this edition: twelve new detailed case studies of NGO management issues and challenges new discussion points, lessons learned and questions for debate to guide the reader through each chapter definitions of key terms highlighted key ideas to illustrate each chapter. Revealing the distinctive organizational challenges faced by NGOs this second edition provides a fully updated and revised text that will prove invaluable to all those studying or working in NGOs, the voluntary sector or development studies. Visit the Companion website at www.routledge.com/textbooks/978-0-415-37093-6.
This edited collection demonstrates that the ideas inherent in social development are practical and not utopian. By discussing and delineating a social development approach, the book argues the need for practicing it at local or grassroots-level communities to promote universal social justice and wellbeing. Towards this end, several leading scholars have presented critical and inspiring thoughts on the significance and usefulness in development of genuine participation of people, bottom-up strategies, self-reliance, capacity building, and egalitarian and empowering partnerships. They also delve into hitherto neglected aspects of social development related to preparing personnel for social development work, ethical imperatives and a new social development paradigm. The world’s contemporary problems persist in part because the social development approach in its comprehensive form has not been planned and implemented at local, national and global levels. Social Development presents the optimistic argument that the application of social development ideas can help create a world in which almost all people’s wellbeing can be significantly enhanced.
Outreach and engagement initiatives are crucial in promoting community development and social change. This can be achieved through a number of methods including public policy and urban development. The Handbook of Research on Civic Engagement and Social Change in Contemporary Society is a critical scholarly resource that examines the unexplored field of applying social change to civic engagement in an effort to enlarge public welfare activities. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics, such as civic education, sustainable development, and child labor, this publication is geared towards academicians, researchers, and students seeking current research on civic engagement and public welfare.
This book explains how and why European non-governmental development organisations (NGDOs) engage in advocacy towards the European Union (EU). It analyses the heterogenous structure of the sector, with examples ranging from large multinational networks to essentially single person NGDOs. The book provides a detailed map of the topics which have featured in NGDO advocacy since 2006, arguing that NGDOs have generally been reactive in their advocacy towards the EU. The author explains how they have contested a number of policy issues on the agendas of the EU institutions, especially around the diversion of aid to manage migration and leverage private sector investments. Furthermore, some NGDOs have used the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to re-package their pre-existing policy demands. Based on an analytical framework focused around three variables, namely moral vision, funding concerns, and the need to build/maintain a ‘good’ reputation, the book explains these advocacy choices, and argues that much of NGDO advocacy seems to be consistent with funding motivations. The author highlights the importance of moral vision and reputational concerns in moderating how far NGDOs will go with funding-driven advocacy, arguing that motivations need to be looked at in their complexity, and within the specific policy context. Drawing on a range of quantitative and qualitative data sets to provide a rich and varied picture of the advocacy work of European development NGOs, European Civil Society and International Development Aid is a key reference for researchers and practitioners working in the field.
Igniting the Power of Community: The Role of CBOs and NGOs in Global Public Health introduces readers to the pursuit and potential of community-based organizations and nongovernmental organizations to transform global public health. At a time of unprecedented challenges, economic crises, social inequalities, environmental stressors, emerging health threats, these organizations are initiating and driving change, often being the first to call attention to the issues and increasingly forging significant and sustainable solutions. Through concrete examples, success stories, and cautionary tales from experienced practitioners, Igniting the Power of Community demonstrates why understanding the roles of the diverse organizations of this sector is vital to anyone concerned with improving health and public health today. This forward-thinking book explains how citizen sector organizations work, their immediate and long term impact on public health, and the key players and business dynamics involved. With an emphasis on innovative approaches, it provides an "insiders view" into practical considerations regarding organizational structure, financing, and operations. A sampling of the coverage: The new era of social entrepreneurship and philanthropy Sustainability in international public health NGOs Front-line perspectives from both well-established and grassroots CBOs Faith-based organizations and public health NGOs and the military: evolving relationships in conflict and disaster zones Understanding the environmental health movement and its impact Project YEAH: a youth AIDS organizations story. Whether you are involved in clinical care, health research, public health programs, or policy development and implementation, this book provides key insights and skills, and will serve as an invaluable resource in working most effectively with and within these dynamic organizations. body>
