Non-governmental organisations in international development: trends and future research priorities

North Atlantic NGOs have significantly increased their role in international development. They have expanded their activities beyond relief to include a more structural approach to third-world poverty and have attracted increasing amounts of government subsidies for their work overseas. They have also begun to engage in education of their home populations about global poverty and have established close ties to an emerging network of third-world NGOs who channel their resources to the grassroots poor abroad. In the post-Cold War era, North Atlantic NGOs enjoy some unique opportunities to expand their work due to the increase of third-world democracy and free-market economies, but they also face some critical challenges ahead — balancing periodic relief efforts with long-term development programmes, resisting pressures by governments to use NGOs for their own purposes, upgrading the quality of development education at home, and finding ways to relate to third-world NGOs as more equal partners. These and other challenges (for example, improving institutional capacities of North Atlantic NGOs to handle increasing demands, and relationship between third-world NGOs and grassroots organisations) need the attention of scholars in the years ahead.An earlier version of this paper was presented to the Quarterly Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) at the United States Department of State, Washington, DC, 15 September 1992.     

Determining Factors in Online Transparency of NGOs: A Spanish Case Study

The social demand of transparency in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) has increased. This is due to their social and economic impact and the incidences of fraudulent behavior by some international NGOs managers. In this regard, an improved and abundant dissemination of information by NGO is essential. The Internet is considered a strategic communication tool in such dissemination. Following an explanatory research line, this article aims to identify the influence of the factors ??organizational size??, ??organizational age??, ??public funding??, ??legal form??, ??internationalization??, ??board size??, and ??board activity?? in the dissemination of web page information. The results show that only the factors of ??organizational size??, ??public funding,?? and ??organizational age?? are statistically significant.     

The Changing Roles of NGOs in Nepal: Promoting Emerging Rights-Holder Organizations for Inclusive Aid

This article examines the unique roles of NGOs with special attention to the changing socio-political contexts of NGOs in terms of their partnerships with Rights-Holder Organizations (RHOs), which claim the rights of particular groups of excluded population. It reviews an example of the NGO working with RHOs in Nepal. NGO relationships with RHOs are delicate and not always equitable due to their different backgrounds and expertise. NGOs, comprising mostly people who are not members of the rights-holding groups, use their expertise to work for others over fixed periods, whilst RHOs work for their own constituencies through movements. Until the 1990s, NGOs supported so-called ‘beneficiaries’ who were members of excluded groups whose rights were being denied. Today, RHOs are formed directly by excluded groups. Some NGOs are trying to change their role to become promoters for RHOs, whilst others remain as their proxies, which merely creates an extra layer between RHOs and donors. The article attempts to prove that building equitable relationships between NGOs and RHOs is possible if NGOs have professionalism, expertise in capacity development and a readiness to become more inclusive. Though there are still several challenges ahead, such efforts by NGOs make it possible to change funding flows for RHOs and contribute to inclusive aid.     

50?Years and the Future of Agency-Based Clinical Social Work Practice: Introduction to the Special Issue

This special issue is a celebration of the Silver School of Social Work??s 50th Anniversary in 2010?C2011. The articles in this issue celebrate the School??s distinct reputation for excellence in clinical social work. They also celebrate the school??s current mission, which includes knowledge development for social work practice, with an emphasis on urban problems, poverty and social justice, and agency-based practice. The majority of the submissions focus on contemporary and future social work practice. This paper concludes with a discussion of several issues that confront the future of clinical social work practice including workforce trends, technology, and the scientific basis for practice, wealth disparity and race as contemporary American issues that affect clinical social work, the globalization of social work and mental health services, and education for tomorrow??s clinical practice.     

New Donor Strategies: Implications for NGOs in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan

This article examines the changes that have taken place since the mid-2000s in the donor agenda in Kyrgyzstan, and what implications these changes have had for Kyrgyzstani NGOs. It uses two-stage longitudinal research. The findings reveal that donors changed their priorities after the mid-2000s by closing the civil society building programmes and grants they initiated in the 1990s. Donors now prioritize promoting NGOs in advocacy roles for policy reform. Interviewed NGOs reported that donor grants had decreased, aggravating the existing competition for donor funding among NGOs. This article suggests that as a result of these changes NGOs that are organizationally and professionally stronger are in a better position to obtain funding and, thus, continue their work. The research findings also indicate that some NGOs expanded their funding sources between 2008 and 2016.     

Pathways to poverty reduction

Of the myriad approaches to reducing poverty, which have proved effective on a national scale? This article analyses 15 systematically selected national cases of demonstrated rapid poverty reduction, seeking insights into effective approaches to reducing poverty. From these 15 economies, in which the bottom quintile experienced an annual increase in income of at least 6% over at least a decade, emerge four poverty‐reduction pathways: (1) industrialisation, (2) rural development, (3) social welfare and (4) petroleum‐generated employment. In addition to helping us understand what policy approaches have actually helped reduce poverty, this article has implications for the understanding of economic growth, the impact of pro‐growth policies, the relationship between state and market, and the roles of non‐government organisations (NGOs) and civil society.     

NGO Development in Croatia

SUMMARY

This paper reports on the phenomenon of de facto interdisciplinary community practice to promote the growth and development of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Croatia. While there has been dramatic expansion in the role of NGOs in Croatian society, no academic discipline has taken the initiative to provide systematic professional training in community practice theory, methods, and techniques. This study examines the role of intermediate NGO support centers, which partially meet this need by offering consultation, training, technical assistance, mentoring, and coaching. One support center, the Center for Civil Initiatives (CCI), is examined in detail, while additional data is drawn from three similar organizations. Professional staff, outside consultants, and volunteers from these centers usually have expertise in a wide variety of practice areas and academic disciplines. However, they do not operate from an interdisciplinary paradigm or practice model. Core knowledge theories and principles embracing an interdisciplinary approach for work with NGOs should be developed within the Croatian system of higher education. Social work has strong potential to develop the theoretical and methodological knowledge necessary to establish an interdisciplinary practice model for NGO development in Croatia.     

Governing Through Patronage: The Rise of NGOs and the Fall of Civil Society in Palestine and Morocco

This article examines foreign aid and government funding to NGOs as forms of patronage and explores the impact of such funding on the nature and role of civil society. Using qualitative research from Palestine and Morocco, we argue that patronage transforms NGOs into apparatuses of governing. NGOs become key sites for the exercise of productive power through the technologies of professionalization, bureaucratization, and upward accountability. The article explores how this transformation of NGOs depoliticizes their work while undermining their role as change agents within civil society. The findings have implications for understanding the transformation of NGOs, the relationship between patrons and their grantees, and, finally, for exploring the limitations of NGOs as vehicles for social change in sensitive political environments.     

Problems of Credibility of NGOs in Uganda: Implications for Theory and Practice

Indigenous NGOs in Uganda are a key stakeholder in the development process. Unfortunately, their impact on the ground has over the years been affected by their poor credibility. Until this research, no empirical research had been done to explore this terrain in Uganda. It is in the wake of this that this research was undertaken. This work was undertaken under the Swedish International Development Agency/Swedish Department for Research Cooperation grant for capacity-building for Makerere University. It was carried out on 100 NGOs selected randomly from some purposively selected districts. A total of 783 respondents responded to a questionnaire whereas some 100 key informants were also involved. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Factor analysis with loadings above 0.4 established that several variables affect each of the factors, with the highest randomly selected loading in each factor being as follows: in accountability (0.61291), transparency (?0.66958), legitimacy (0.43661) partnership/networking (0.48110), ICT (?0.42610) and effectiveness (?0.77667). The beta (β) column under the standardised coefficients shows that the beta for legitimacy = 0.236; efficiency = 0.171; transparency = 0.153; accountability = 0.141; partnership = 0.120 and ICT = 0.080 and that all are significant at 0.001 level. The coefficients show that legitimacy is the most predictive factor for credibility and that the least predictive factor is ICT. All in all, it was established that the credibility of the NGOs is just average. The level of credibility was found to be insufficient for the badly needed effective service delivery and poverty eradication in a country where 24.5% of the population still live in absolute poverty. It is recommended that in practice, for NGOs to effectively participate in poverty eradication and enhance their credibility, they should invest in the above factors in proportion to their predictive power. Theoretically, more research needs to be done in order to develop a robust theory on the NGOs’ credibility. However, it was noted that these key factors could still provide guidelines for the theoretical explanation of the NGOs’ credibility in Uganda.     

NGOS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN BULGARIA AND THE USA

This study examines the development of civil society and its ability to facilitate stronger democratic practices in Bulgaria using the USA as a comparison. Using data gathered from surveys of NGOs in 2006, we examine three sets of questions. First, what is the level of NGO organizational capacity? Second, to what degree are NGOs performing their mediating roles? Third, how do NGOs perceive their effectiveness in working with the state and its citizens. Our findings suggest that Bulgarian NGOs face a number of challenges when compared with US NGOs, which affect their ability to engage in civil society activities such as establishing horizontal ties with citizens and other groups.     

The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations for the Welfare of the Elderly

Summary

Since there has been a gradual increase in the population aged 60 and older, a developing country like India is unable to cope with the needs and problems of its aged populations. While the government continues its efforts to introduce programs for the elderly, the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have played a key role in bringing to the forefront the socioeconomic and health problems of older people in the society at large. This paper looks at the role of the NGOs through their various welfare activities and beneficial programs in carving out a place for the elderly in India. The work of HelpAge India is highlighted to examine how voluntary organizations have worked in the field of aging in India and made an impact on the lives of the senior citizens, especially those below the poverty line who are economically and socially deprived.     

The role of non-governmental organizations for the welfare of the elderly: the case of HelpAge India

Since there has been a gradual increase in the population aged 60 and older, a developing country like India is unable to cope with the needs and problems of its aged populations. While the government continues its efforts to introduce programs for the elderly, the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a key role in bringing to the forefront the socioeconomic and health problems of older people in the society at large. This paper looks at the role of the NGOs through their various welfare activities and beneficial programs in carving out a place for the elderly in India. The work of HelpAge India is highlighted to examine how voluntary organizations have worked in the field of aging in India and made an impact on the lives of the senior citizens, especially those below the poverty line who are economically and socially deprived.     

Who Can Help People with HIV/AIDS in Africa? Governance of HIV/AIDS and Civil Society

This paper locates NGOs dealing with HIV/AIDS problems in sub-Saharan Africa into the larger governance context within which they function. This aims at a theoretical shift to assess the aspirational characteristics for the agency of NGOs that are used to legitimate contracting out implementation of internationally designed HIV/AIDS policies to these organizations. The paper interrogates the nature and impact of the governance structure on NGOs and then looks at the implications of this for HIV/AIDS. The questioning is based on a juxtaposition of the perspective of international policy fora in relation to civil society organizations with the way NGO work is perceived by the people at the receiving end of the policies. The paper suggests that as part of the international governance structure, NGOs are limited within the policy frameworks created by this structure. Furthermore, due to their organizational characteristics, NGOs lack capacity to establish sustainable long-term interventions relevant for sociocultural change as perceived by people themselves.     

Does Social Work Need a “Practice Doctorate”?

In the past few years, new ??practice doctorate?? programs have been mounted by some schools of social work with traditional Ph.D. programs. This trend is explored in relation to the purposes of doctoral education, specifically preparing stewards of the discipline as compared to ??stewards of the enterprise.?? Arguments advanced for and against this development in social work education are reviewed in the context of the emergence of practice doctorates in psychology, nursing and public health. Characteristics of these new doctoral programs in social work, which all focus on clinical social work, are described. Wider discussion of the concept and purposes of the ??practice doctorate?? in social work is needed in order to safeguard the gains made in research education at the doctoral level and to advance practice-based knowledge and scholarship for the future.     

Depictions and reflections: photographing visualizations of masculinities in Afghanistan and Democratic Republic of the Congo

In this photo-essay, I reflect upon my research for various NGOs over the years on gender issues in conflict areas, using my work in Afghanistan and DR Congo as example. I reflect on both the ways in which masculinities are represented in conflict-affected countries as well as by outside agents, and on the ways in which NGOs produce this kind of knowledge and my own positionality within these processes.     

The Right Tools for the Right Job: Social Work Students Learning Community Development

The place of community development within social work varies across nations and time. The tensions in the 1970s in the UK gave way to decades when social work has been dominated by issues relating to protecting and caring for individuals. We now have a resurgence of community development activity, bringing together varied disciplines such as urban planning and health promotion as well as social work. Within the UK there are now requirements for community development knowledge and skills within qualifying social work training. This paper reflects on experiences in promoting community development practice learning in social work qualifying placements within Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland. Issues are raised about the diversity and complexity of expectations on qualifying training, and the challenges that face universities, colleges and employing organisations in developing practice learning in this curriculum area. The prospects for improving community development learning within both qualifying and post qualifying education and training are considered particularly in the light of inter-professional and inter-organisational initiatives that put community development in the context of health promotion, housing, crime, poverty and other social issues that might be addressed at community level to improve the health and social well-being of citizens.     

Faith,work, and women in a changing world: the influence of religion in the lives of beedi rollers in West Bengal

In India, religious norms and values play a significant role in regulating the lives of women and girls in many communities. This article looks at how the lives of women and girl beedi (hand rolled cigarette) rollers in a Muslim community in West Bengal are influenced by their religious background, highlighting the complex relationship between gender, faith, and work. Secondly, the article discusses how secular NGOs – which in India are often seen to be hesitant in addressing questions of religious faith and practice – can engage in development work with women and girls in faith-based communities. The article focuses on the experiences of two secular NGOs working with women beedi workers in villages in Murshidabad, as they come to understand that to bring about significant changes in women's lives they must open up discussions around sensitive religious belief, within the community and their own organisations.     

Wie viel Verwaltungsaufwand ist notwendig, um Transparenz und Wirksamkeit zu gewährleisten?

“Each Euro of my donation shall reach directly to the poor without any deduction!” This demand is often heard by development organisations. This article reflects the necessary administration to ensure transparency and effectiveness of NGOs. The author works for the NGO Indienhilfe e. V. Herrsching, an organisation pushing ahead the battle against poverty in India and working in the field of development education in Germany, and describes in this article the administrative part of her work which ensures the transparency of decisions, the quality of the project partnership and the monitoring of the projects.     

Zwischen Normativität und Komplexität

The spheres of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) related to development policy have changed significantly in past years. Therefore NGOs are confronted more and more with areas of tension and contradictions that they influence and challenge with their work. In this context, NGOs that are active in education for sustainable development face a special challenge. All of the contradictions and areas of tension appear condensed in this field and need to be examined and processed adequately from the point of education. The resulting areas of conflict and tension mark the central border area and problems of educational work related to development policy that far outreach the practice of NGOs.     

Assessment of multidimensional poverty and effectiveness of microfinance-driven government and NGO projects in the rural Bangladesh

This paper has developed a multidimensional model usable in assessing economic, social, political and cultural dimensions of poverty by utilizing primary data collected from 78 villages in Bangladesh using a participatory approach. Employing the developed model, a comparative analysis has been performed between microfinance-driven government (GO) and NGO (non-government organization) projects to explore their relative effectiveness in enhancing wellbeing of the poor in rural Bangladesh. It is observed that GO agencies are more effective in enhancing ‘economic wellbeing’ of the poor, whereas NGOs are contributing more in the ‘social’ aspects of wellbeing. Findings also revealed that, as whole, GO agencies perform 42% better than NGOs in improving living standards of the rural poor which contradicts with the existing literature of poverty reduction projects in developing countries.