Campaigning has become an important area of work for development NGOs (NGDOs). How political, in terms of public mobilising to confront authority, has it become? What frameworks can we best use to study this? Based on precedents such as della Porta and Diani's suggestion (2006) that social movement (SM) theory can be enlarged as a theory of collective action, I borrow six SM concepts – frames, repertoires, networks, mobilising structures, identity and political opportunities-threats. I then combine them with NGDO campaigning literature themes to explore those questions in a case study of ActionAid's Tax Justice Campaign (TJC) in Nigeria and the UK. ActionAid's TJC operates through two campaign formats – a single-issue format with one international claim and a multiple-issue format with claims specific to each level. Both formats exist in tension for campaign resources, yet combine to expose international and domestic causes of poverty in low-income countries. This example illustrates ActionAid's campaigning style: walking a tightrope to balance tensions and opportunities in its idea of ‘campaigning'. This style also includes embracing moderate and radical supporter views on poverty and a structure of sponsorship and service-delivery programmes with campaigning accompanying them. For example, financial supporters mobilise towards confronting authorities alongside direct campaigner recruitment. Other NGDOs share this, with other ActionAid campaign features, which together shapes an understanding towards the idea of NGDO political action. I suggest that my findings contribute to both NGDO campaigning and SM theory. To NGDO campaign actors, SM theory provides a new vocabulary to study NGDO campaigning, particularly little explored dimensions in NGDO campaign literature such as state/authority confrontation and political identity. To SM theory, my findings offer an empirical contribution which helps position campaigning NGDOs as another type of contentious actor. At a practice level, ActionAid's multiple-issue campaigning may help prevent local tokenism in international campaigns.

The research reported in this thesis examines the various factors which influence the role of NGOs in development in India. Despite the centrality of NGOs to the development process in the projects examined, little effort has been made to look at existing experience in terms of what works and what does not work in actual practice. This study attempts to analyse the importance and effectiveness of NGOs through the documentation and analysis of the experiences of five NGOs. The five NGOs are: CERTH India and RDI, in the union territory of Pondicherry; ASHA and GRAM, in Krishna and Adilabad districts respectively in the state of Andra Pradesh; and PMDS, in the South Arcot district of the state of Tamil Nadu. These five organisations have spent the five to 15 years organising their respective client communities. The local organisations that have come into existence through their efforts have reached a stage at which village units have federated and are displaying self-management skills to varying degrees. Specific dimensions of the NGOs examined in this study/ include: influencing factors related to their communities and environments; objectives, strategies, structure and functioning, focusing on community participation, vulnerable groups, empowerment, sustainability, the importance of participatory evaluation and participatory research in an NGO; administration and accountability of NGOs; and enabling relations and collaborations which have to be fostered between government and NGOs on the one hand, and global institutions and NGOs on the other. The main approach used in this study was the use of In-depth, openended, informal interviews and discussions based on pre-planned questions, with a range of NGO staff and members of the organisations. Direct contact with some of the beneficiaries, a literature review, and project reports and records also aided the study. The results showed that strategies and techniques used by the NGOs are valuable for attaining self-reliant development. Holistic development is best achieved when the organisation aims at transforming all the important dimensions of people's lives through the process of collective reflection and action on the forces that presently prevent them from developing.

Non-governmental organisations (NGO) have been recognised as important actors when it comes to achieving a sustainable development. Cooperation between the state and NGOs is desirable and this thesis is a contribution to the knowledge about the cooperation between NGOs and the state. The objective is to provide a deeper understanding of the cooperation between environmental NGOs and the Moldovan state. The environmental NGOs that are chosen are based in Chisinau and have worked with waste management and recycling. Further the thesis also aims to suggest factors that can affect the nature of the relationship     between the chosen actors. To achieve this I carried out a case study of four environmental NGOs that are based in Chisinau. A representative from each NGO was interviewed about the organisation and its relationship to the state. Theories about clientelism and synergy were then used to analyse the results. I have come to the conclusion that there is a positive attitude towards cooperation with the state but at the same time the NGOs strive to maintain their independence from the state. In addition to this there are certain factors such as trust, availability of resources, and the characteristics of the NGOs can influence the nature of the relationship. This study is a contribution to the knowledge regarding NGO-state relationships and can be used as a base for further studies on this subject. This subject is important to study as NGOs have been identified as important actors in achieving a sustainable development and governments are encouraged to cooperate with them.

Background: Since 2008, more than half of the world's population now live an urban area. The consequences of this are strains on existing resources such as access to healthcare, housing and infrastructure. Therefore, access to data at the urban level is important for those involved in policy making in order to assess and address these issues. This is especially important for developing countries where resources are already limited without the added strain of urbanisation. This PhD study is nested within the EURO-URHIS 2 project, a DG Research, FP7 Programme project which is collecting data on a series of indicators deemed to be important to urban health. The first part of this PhD study investigates whether the EURO-URHIS 2 data collection tools designed for use in Europe can be replicated in Vietnam. During a preliminary fieldwork trip to Vietnam it was found that it would not be possible to obtain permission to interview policy makers or the urban population of Ho Chi Minh City within the study time frame. Therefore, the second part of this PhD study is to explore the use of existing data sources, functions and activities of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Vietnam. Methods: The EURO-URHIS 2 existing data survey was used to collect country and urban area level data from Vietnam. The data for the NGO study was collected using an online questionnaire hosted on a server by the University of Manchester. Results: The study found that it was possible to use the EURO-URHIS 2 existing data tool to collect a range of health indicator data at the country and urban level in Vietnam. The online study determined the role of international NGOs working in Vietnam and barriers to using existing sources of information. The study also found low levels of NGO engagement with other NGOs, policy makers, local authorities and Vietnamese government organisations. Conclusions: The successful implementation of EURO-URHIS 2 existing data survey allowed the examination of the potential health implications of urbanisation in Vietnam. The NGO study identified key areas where international NGOs in Vietnam were active, barriers to using existing sources of data and NGO relationships with other actors. The study also suggested opportunities for further NGO engagement.

This thesis deals with the way that values get taken up by managers and leaders in international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), organisations which already have a rich history of public appeals to values. By ”values‘ I take to mean those generalised and idealising statements, such as the aspiration to ”mutual respect‘, ”equity and justice‘ ”honesty and transparency‘ in dealings with others, which usually accompany the organisation‘s vision and mission statements. The thesis sets out the argument that modern management methods based on systems thinking have been imported largely uncritically into the INGO sector, and in situations where the future is uncertain, or where there is difficulty or conflict, managers often attempt to cover over this conflict or uncertainty with an appeal to values which pictures an idealised future or an imaginary unity. Further, the thesis attempts to explore this phenomenon and to uncover some of the ethical issues that arise in the process of an appeal to unity when I am engaged as a consultant in working with managers in the INGO-sector. The thesis considers how my own practice as a consultant has changed and developed as a consequence of considering these phenomena more intensely and acting on the conclusions from these reflections. The research was prompted by my feelings of being co-opted into a process that encouraged conformity in INGOs in a way that left me feeling uncomfortable. In exploration of this discomfort and as student in a faculty pursuing the conceptual development of professional practice I have drawn broadly on the phenomenological tradition of research as a way of better understanding what I was encountering and how to make better sense of it. The method underpinning this thesis uses narrative, and reflection on narrative with a community of enquirers, which has included both fellow students on the course, as well as a wider group of interested academics. I have used as my research material my own experience of working with INGOs as a consultant and have reflected on those occasions when the discussion of values is very much to the fore. It has also meant my locating the discussion of values in a wider discourse of philosophy, sociology and psychology and mounting a critique of the dominant paradigm for understanding values in current management and organisational change literature, which is often understood as a tool for management to bring about employee alignment. Instead, I have set out an emergent understanding of values as radically social phenomena arising in the daily interaction between engaged human beings. I argue that, because of our interdependence, we are obliged to renegotiate our value commitments on a daily basis as a way of working out how we can continue together. This has involved developing a different understanding of the relationship between self and other, and a more nuanced insight into the workings of groups and the relationships of power that arise between people. Engaging with values in INGOs as a consultant invited into conversations in INGOs has thus involved my paying attention to power relating between myself and others, and the dialectic between the good and the right. Reflecting on the ethical aspects of my own consultancy practice has involved an investigation into what we might mean by ethical practice, which is generally understood to be following a series of linear rules and paradigms. I have begun to develop in its stead a theory of consultancy practice based on concepts of mutual recognition and mutual adjustment that create more space for movement within the broader social processes that can severely constrain what it is and is not possible to say and do. This thesis contributes to knowledge in the field of the management of INGOs by being one of the first to offer a critique of accepted paradigms of management theory, particularly as it relates to the appeal to values as part of strategy formation. Moreover, the emergent and social theory of values that I develop as a foil to more orthodox understandings of the role of values in the management of INGOs is also unique. My arguments concerning the ethical practice of consultancy in the domain, underpinned by a dialectical engagement of self and other, are particularly relevant to the field in which I am involved where the encounter with difference is inevitable. In the literature on management of INGOs, where research on consultancy practice is still rather thin and orthodox, my argument for a different understanding of ethical practice offers a considerable divergence of approach. In pointing to the similarities between the pressures facing INGO and private sector organisations I have also called into question the uniqueness that many scholars claim for the current management practice in INGOs. My attempts to use narrative and reflection on narrative as a method that strives to articulate what a different practice might look like should also make a new contribution to the debate about method, and ways of discussing management practice, in international development.

M.Comm. / Microfinance refers to the provision of financial services, in particular small loans in the context of South Africa, to poor people with very small businesses. Commercial banks have largely considered poor people in remote areas unbankable, because they lack collateral and have no credit histories. Microfinance institutions emerged as unconventional institutions with innovative techniques, mechanisms and instruments to advance financial services to this segmented part of the population. This has, however, not been without challenges. Microfinance institutions face a number of challenges such as lack of competent human capital, unfavourable regulatory environment, and insufficient financing. The study examines if these challenges are applicable in the South African context and whether financial and operational inefficiency has hindered microfinance institutions in South Africa from sustainably increasing their outreach through the provision of microcredit. It surveys two microfinance institutions, characterised as non-governmental organisations using the group lending methodology to offer microloans to the very poor. The results indicate that microfinance institutions are not on a sound fiscal footing, and large operating expenses have resulted in some form of inefficiency. This has, however, not hindered the microfinance institutions from reaching a greater number of borrowers. The witnessed increased outreach in number of clients reached is considered unsustainable given the existence of inefficiency and financial weakness. The results suggest a number of policy options on the side of government and the institutions concerned. Increasing the funding sources available to microfinance institutions should be considered by both government and private institutions. This policy would succeed if microfinance institutions work at reducing their operational costs and become both efficient and sustainable so as to be seen as viable investment options.

This research was aimed at establishing the contributions of developmental nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to social welfare service delivery in Gauteng, South Africa, and to examine the challenges they have faced since the transition from Apartheid social welfare to a developmental welfare paradigm. This study revealed how developmental NGOs function to meet the needs of citizens, especially the marginalised and vulnerable class of the society. It also examined the contributions of developmental NGOs in terms of capacity building, physical infrastructure development and their sustainability. The research was qualitative and exploratory in nature, and a multiple case study design was applied. The research sample of 15 participants was drawn from three developmental NGOs registered with the Department of Social Development, Gauteng, South Africa. Five employees from each developmental NGO were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. A face to face interview was the method of data collection. The data collected was analysed. The main findings showed that there is evidence of positive contributions to capacity building and infrastructural development at the grassroots level. However, funding remains the biggest challenge, which then affects the sustainability of development.

This study sought to explore the perceptions of stakeholders on the role and effectiveness of networking forums in promoting partnerships and integrated service delivery between government and non-profit sector organisations using the Nelmapius forum as a case study. The research adopted a qualitative research method and a case study research approach was utilized. The research population consisted of social workers and social work supervisors in both government and NGOs who participated in the Nelmapius forum. Purposive sampling which is a type of non-probability sampling was utilized to draw participants for the study. The sample consisted of 11 social workers and 4 social work supervisors who participated in the Nelmapius forum. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings reveal that participants understood the primary reason behind the establishment of the Nelmapius forum as to strengthen the relationship between the government and the NGOs in Nelmapius. It was also revealed that the Nelmapius forum was a platform for NGOs and the DHSD to share service delivery information. Findings of the study show that the forum is an effective platform for enhancing partnerships’ among organisations which enhanced integrated service delivery. The forum created a platform which enabled organisations to work cooperatively. This led to capacity building among participant members and their organisations. The forum also enabled organisations to work together to share service delivery channels and processes as well as demarcation areas of service which benefitted the community members. The forum did experience few challenges in its later stages of functioning such as poor attendance, lack of new member integration, and failure to honour commitments by some organisations which led to low of morale amongst forum members. As a way of invigorating the forum participants suggested that: All stakeholders should participate actively in the forum, facilitation of the forum should rotate among members, the forum must be open to all stakeholders, the forum must be attended by senior officials, meeting venues should rotate in different organisations and that there should be monitoring and evaluation systems in place. It is hoped the study will have impact positively on the functioning of networking forums.

Mainly from the perspective of transformative learning (TL), the thesis explores how the rights-based approach (RBA) by a Cambodian NGO has influenced rural citizens' agency in fulfilling their rights to development and, consequently, has brought about social change. The study was conducted in particular contexts where for the last decade there have been decentralisation reforms and land grabbing, both of which have come into existence as a result of the conjunction of neo-patrimonialism (as a patronage-based practice by the Cambodian government) and such global forces as the influences of aid donors and the increase in global resource demands. The literature indicates that RBA as a western-conceptualised and confrontational approach is not likely to work, especially in relation to the often authoritarian governments of developing countries. Hence, this study has chosen a Cambodian NGO—which has modified RBA to fit the rural context of Cambodia—as a case, so as to explore the potential and limits of RBA in a highly repressive and complex context. In order to explore the context-specific yet multi-scalar phenomenon of the agency and structure relationship, I utilised a grounded theory ethnographic study inspired by critical realism and employed the expanded framework of the TL theory, further complemented by the Freirean approach and Gramscian thought. Furthermore, in order to delve into how the exercise of citizens' agency is constrained by structures, this study also situates TL's rather active view of agency in the critical realist's moderate view of agency. This thesis argues that the Cambodian NGO, by working closely with government, has made full use of and further widened the democratic spaces made available through decentralisation, in order to create spaces conducive to TL, and has harnessed its multi-faceted and process-oriented rights-based empowerment approach in order to enhance citizens' agency to claim their rights. However, the thesis critiques the fact that the NGO has not enabled citizens to become aware of and to contend against the deep-seated practice of neo-patrimonialism that is hidden behind the democratic façade of the decentralisation process and that has engendered land grabbing, with the result that the NGO has been promoting 'thin' rights. Finally this study reveals the possibilities of TL through RBA in the highly oppressive and resource-scarce context of rural Cambodia, yet casts doubt on its replicability as it appears to demand the mobilisation of a number of enabling factors in order for TL to occur within such a context.

Yes