Rural education in China is the meeting point between civil society and the state. Due to serious inefficiencies and insufficiencies of the education financial system, the state has searched for alternative ways to address the severe problems of education in rural areas, namely, it is performing an inclusive strategy of new social agents (NGOs) to improve the conditions of basic education in rural areas, following the paradigm “Small Government, Big Society”. By participating in the provision of rural education, NGOs engage in informal ties through which they can transfer information to the government and softly advocate changes in specific measures that would improve rural education. Educational NGOs represent the largest group of officially recognized NGOs in China, and their participation in rural education is of key significance to understand contemporary state-society relations in China. The present thesis intends to cover the whole of academic research on Chinese NGOs, understand the background conditions of rural education in China and the causes that drive NGOs to work on the field; discuss the limitations these NGOs encounter and their contributions to the development of rural education; and lastly, evaluate their implications for state-society relations in both the practical and theoretical sense, likewise expanding the existing theoretical body on civil society in China. The research methodology includes a theoretical exploration on civil society in China and a descriptive analysis of NGOs in China; an historical analysis of the development of the education system, and a descriptive study of the education conditions, focusing on rural education. It includes an examination of Project Hope, and a case study on Beijing Western Sunshine Rural Development Foundation (BWSF), based on empirical evidence gathered during a field trip conducted during the months of July and August 2009 in Beijing and Sichuan (China). It is argued that educational NGOs and the state are engaging in interdependent type of relationships. However, the case study of Beijing Western Sunshine Rural Development Foundation will evidence that educational NGOs engage in more complex interdependent dynamics as they build necessary operational social networks with other non-state agents. Such phenomenon highlights the existence of civil society aspects in China.

<p>This study investigates how different kinds of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), operating in different national political contexts, perceive and use the Internet as a political space. The political space concept, as defined here, encompasses two dimensions of Internet use: one external, where organisations use the Internet for online activism and campaigning, and one internal, signifying organisational use of the Internet to promote engagement and interactivity with members and/or supporters. Another question raised is whether Internet use for political purposes by NGOs varies between different national political contexts. Moreover, do the organisations believe that the Internet has affected their political influence to any extent? The empirical data consist of the results of two surveys, one directed primarily to American NGOs, the other explicitly comparative, analysing NGOs in Sweden and the USA. Furthermore, content analyses of NGO websites have been conducted and additive indexes constructed. The findings of the study suggest that, overall, the Internet is most important to the studied organisations as a space for external political initiatives. There were, however, important differences in this regard, which could be related to the organisations’ national political contexts. For example, the American NGOs have oriented their websites primarily towards relatively superficial forms of member involvement, while the Swedish NGOs provided more interactive grassroots features on their websites. Regarding political influence, the Internet arguably has the potential to make the most dramatic difference by reinforcing the organisations’ offline political activities. The present results indicate that, despite the possible converging effect of the Internet on NGO political activism, national political culture exerts an inescapable influence on how the Internet is used as a political space by the studied organisations.</p>

<p>A disaster always means a huge death toll, displacement and inconceivable destruction for a poor country such as Bangladesh. Recently, Bangladesh has taken a holistic approach to prioritising interrelated activities and the involvement of various organisations in disaster management. A number of disaster management committees (DMCs) have been formed to coordinate and implement risk reduction measures. But the levels of success of these organisations have varied in different regions. Improper consideration of local knowledge, corruption of actors, lack of coordination and capacity of actors, etc., are perceived as major causes of this. Primarily, this mini-thesis aims to measure the impact of self-organisation in disaster risk management.</p>

The thesis examines how the social construction of African women in development discourse transformed from the 1970s to the 2000s, focusing in particular on the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). From the 1970s to the 1990s representations of African women were based on women’s economic potential. The mainstreaming of gender in the 1990s resulted in women being represented as agents of change. This approach gave women an opportunity to play roles in decision-making but led to policies that failed to challenge the established institutions. The emphasis on women as agents of change opened doors to some African women but with implications for the women’s movement. Only some middle-class women appear to benefit but their gains have been marginal in comparison to the gender inequalities that persist. The thesis uses secondary sources and interviews with development practitioners in Ottawa to understand the representation of African women as agents of change.

This thesis is designed to analyze the relations between the Egyptian women&rsquo / s NGOs and the state in Contemporary Egypt through the interviews conducted with members and administrators of eleven selected women&rsquo / s NGOs based in Cairo. The main aim is to show how these NGOs with different aims and different working areas build their relations with the state, what kind of problems they face and how they cope with them as well as, if there are any, elaborate the relation patterns between the state and different women&rsquo / s NGOs in different fields. The sample of the research consists of twenty-seven women, members and administrators, from eleven women&rsquo / s organizations based in Cairo. The women&rsquo / s organizations that constitute the subject of this research study were selected out of the leading advocacy, research, charity and development NGOs in Cairo. Within this framework, the thesis is mainly based on the qualitative data of the in-depth interviews and the interpretations of the responses given by the interviewees. On the other hand, in order to better analyze and understand existing relations between the state and women&rsquo / s organizations in contemporary Egypt, women&rsquo / s activism and NGOs and their shifting relations with the state will be examined historically as well.

Title: Upsetting Offsets - A case study of Colombia and their legislation of biodiversity offsetting Authors: Linda Levin and Linda Olsson Supervisor: Åsa-Karin Engstrand Background: The global loss of biodiversity is a very timely debate, and experts are actively working on finding new ways to lessen and reverse the negative impacts placed on the environment. One such way is biodiversity offsetting and it is a methodology that is becoming more prevalent within national environmental legislations. Colombia enforced a legislation regarding biodiversity offsetting in 2012, and it quickly became apparent that the process would not progress without its issues. Aim: The aim of this study is to research the government, NGOs and companies in relation to the legislation of biodiversity offsetting in Colombia established in 2012, to acquire knowledge regarding their roles, relationships and the challenges they are experiencing. Methodology: The empirical data was collected during a two months field study in Colombia. The data was collected in a qualitative manner, through interviews with employees at governmental entities, NGOs and companies. While conducting the empirical research, theoretical information was gathered, which implies an iterative approach. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, there are various issues to be found in the implementation process of the legislation, both in regards to practical difficulties, as well as in the relationships between the different actors. Some of these problems could be mitigated with a national habitat banking system, where the offsetting activities are managed by an external part.  Key words: Biodiversity offsetting, environmental governance, Colombia, NGOs, the government, companies, roles, relationships, challenges. / Bakgrund: Den globala negativa påverkan på den biologiska mångfalden är en högst aktuell debatt, och experter arbetar ständigt med att hitta nya sätt att vända de negativa effekterna på miljön. En metod som ämnar göra detta är ekologisk kompensering, vilken blir allt vanligare inom nationell miljölagstiftning. I Colombia trädde en lagstiftning gällande ekologisk kompensering i kraft under 2012, och det blev snart uppenbart att processen inte skulle fortskrida utan sina problem. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att i Colombia, undersöka regeringen, ideella organisationer och företag i relation till lagstiftningen om ekologisk kompensering som trädde i kraft 2012, för att förvärva oss kunskap om deras roller, relationer och utmaningar. Metod: Det empiriska datamaterialet samlades in under en två månader lång fältstudie i Colombia. Detta skedde kvalitativt, genom intervjuer med anställda på regeringsorgan, ideella organisationer och företag. Samtidigt som vi genomförde den empiriska undersökningen, samlade vi även in teoretisk information, vilket visar på användningen av en iterativ metod. Slutsats: Resultaten av denna studie visar att det finns vissa svårigheter i implementeringsprocessen av lagstiftningen, såväl gällande praktiska svårigheter, som i relationerna mellan de olika aktörerna. Några av dessa problem skulle kunna lösas med ett nationellt habitat banking system, där kompenseringsaktiviteterna hanteras av en extern part. Nyckelord: Ekologisk kompensering, miljöstyrning, Colombia, ideella organisationer, regeringen, företag, roller, förhållanden, utmaningar.

The understandings and treatments of the sexual rights of people with intellectual and psychological disabilities vary in different societies. However, one issue that is common in most societies is that this group of people experiences the highest rates of sexual violence and is regularly a-sexualized. Much attention has been paid to the increasingly visible issues of sexual violence in Latin America in a gendered and racial context, however recent scholarship has neglected to look at sexual violence in the context of people with disabilities. In this text, I aim to uncover how the human rights, and more specifically, sexual rights, are understood and treated for this highly marginalized group of people in Guatemala, a country that has endured heavy amounts of violence and trauma both contemporarily and historically. Through ethnographic fieldwork conducted at institutions for disability services in urban Guatemala, I paint a picture of how the contemporary social and political climate involving violence, nearly complete impunity for crimes, culturally engrained patriarchal norms and neoliberal policies affect this group of people who are often depoliticized through patronizing portrayals in media and the public arena. Using in depth investigations of Guatemalan law and observational work and interviews conducted in public government-funded institutions, NGOs and non-profit organizations and human rights organizations, I seek to reveal the paradigms within the disparate types of institutions for understanding and treating people with disabilities. By questioning the institutional perceptions and treatments of the sexuality and sexual abuse of people with intellectual and psychological disabilities, I seek to examine the different ways cognitive disability has been socially constructed in Guatemala and the different reasons behind this group's social abandonment and high rates of sexual violence towards them. This work problematizes medical and charity models utilized for understanding disability that have been implemented through law, institutional and public policies, and societal misconceptions. This research also challenges Western disability policies and conceptions that have been imposed in developing countries like Guatemala, and questions the possibility to create spaces of local disability rights activism in spite of high risk factors for violence and neoliberal policies that limit political protest. / text

2011-uosius metus Europos Komisija paskelbė Savanorystės metais. Savanorystė jau tapo tarptautiniu reiškiniu, kurio nauda pastebima ne tik visuomenės ir nevyriausybinių organizacijų, bet ir paties žmogaus besiimančio šios veiklos asmenybės tobulėjimui. Europos savanorių centras išleido manifestą, kuriuo skelbiama apie savanorystės svarbą bei siūlomi konkretūs veiksmai, kuriais remiantis būtų ugdoma savanorišką veiklą šalyje gerbianti visuomenė. Taip pat šį rudenį Lietuvos Prezidentė nutarė steigti darbo grupę, kuri siūlys savanorystės problemų sprendimus. Tai yra aktuali šiomis dienomis nagrinėjama tema, kurios efektyvinimui didinti jau yra imamasi įvairiausių priemonių (pvz.:. dažniausiai žiniasklaidoje minimas rengiamas savanoriškos veiklos įstatymo projektas ar vykdomos įvairios savanorystę paremti programos). Tyrimo objektas – nevyriausybinių organizacijų savanorių pasitelkimo galimybių plėtra. Tyrimo tikslas - ištyrus savanoriško darbo paplitimo tendencijas Lietuvoje ir Belgijoje pateikti vadybos gerąją praktika grįstas organizacines priemones motyvuojančias Lietuvos gyventojus tapti savanoriais. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Apžvelgti nevyriausybinių organizacijų veiklos aplinką, nustatyti teorines prielaidas pasitelkti savanorius NVO veikloje; 2. Nustatyti ir ištirti organizacijų požymių rinkinį, kuriam esant savanorystė gali būti plėtojama geriausiu būdu. Nustatyti, kaip nevyriausybinių organizacijų žinomumas ir aktyvumas daro įtaką savanorių pritraukimui. 3. Nustatyti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The European Commission declared 2011 as the year of volunteering. Volunteering is a common and international phenomena and it is useful for the society, nongovernmental organizations and development of persons undertaking these activities. The European volunteering centre issued a manifesto stressing the importance of volunteering and offering specific actions on developing the society that respects volunteers. Moreover, in this autumn the Lithuanian President ordered to constitute a work group that would find the solutions on volunteering problems. It is a relevant topic, and in order to enhance effectiveness, various methods are undertaking: e.g. the draft law on volunteering activities and programs on volunteering support. Research object development of volunteering capacities in nongovernmental organizations. Research purpose – after analysis of volunteering tendencies in Lithuania and Belgium, suggest some good-practice management organization measures on motivating Lithuanian residents to volunteer. Research objectives: 1. To overview the environment of NGO activities, to establish the theoretic presumptions on the use on volunteers in NGO performance; 2. To indicate and analyze the organizational features for the most effective use of volunteering and establish the effect of visibility of organization on attracting volunteers. 3. To establish the effect of motivation methods for development of volunteering. 4. To construct the organizational measures on... [to full text]

<p>A disaster always means a huge death toll, displacement and inconceivable destruction for a poor country such as Bangladesh. Recently, Bangladesh has taken a holistic approach to prioritising interrelated activities and the involvement of various organisations in disaster management. A number of disaster management committees (DMCs) have been formed to coordinate and implement risk reduction measures. But the levels of success of these organisations have varied in different regions. Improper consideration of local knowledge, corruption of actors, lack of coordination and capacity of actors, etc., are perceived as major causes of this. Primarily, this mini-thesis aims to measure the impact of self-organisation in disaster risk management.</p>

This study investigates how different kinds of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), operating in different national political contexts, perceive and use the Internet as a political space. The political space concept, as defined here, encompasses two dimensions of Internet use: one external, where organisations use the Internet for online activism and campaigning, and one internal, signifying organisational use of the Internet to promote engagement and interactivity with members and/or supporters. Another question raised is whether Internet use for political purposes by NGOs varies between different national political contexts. Moreover, do the organisations believe that the Internet has affected their political influence to any extent? The empirical data consist of the results of two surveys, one directed primarily to American NGOs, the other explicitly comparative, analysing NGOs in Sweden and the USA. Furthermore, content analyses of NGO websites have been conducted and additive indexes constructed. The findings of the study suggest that, overall, the Internet is most important to the studied organisations as a space for external political initiatives. There were, however, important differences in this regard, which could be related to the organisations’ national political contexts. For example, the American NGOs have oriented their websites primarily towards relatively superficial forms of member involvement, while the Swedish NGOs provided more interactive grassroots features on their websites. Regarding political influence, the Internet arguably has the potential to make the most dramatic difference by reinforcing the organisations’ offline political activities. The present results indicate that, despite the possible converging effect of the Internet on NGO political activism, national political culture exerts an inescapable influence on how the Internet is used as a political space by the studied organisations.