During 1990s, the 'renaissance' of civil society in the Third World and the birth of thousands ofNGOs provoked a debate about their critical role, linked to the end of the Cold War and the 'triumph' of the Westernized, capitalist system, which has steadily expanded its model throughout the world, proclaiming the merits of democratization and the free market system. According to Commins (1999) "the major global institutions and most powerful bilateral donors want NGOs to serve as the front line for global welfare". Donors offered funds, and thousands of NGO were born worldwide. Through their projects and the movement of expatriates to developing countries, many replicated Western culture and acted as welfare providers, losing sight of their independence and critical position unto both market and state. Development apparatus have been institutionalized globally. A high concentration of development assistance exists in the Third World. "One finds identical development institutions, a common discourse, way of defining problems and pool of 'experts' ... " (Ferguson 1990: 8). At least theoretically, many organizations are moving toward a more participatory development, recognizing indigenous knowledge. Yet, the complexity of the relationships between donors, organizations and partners, and the rigidity of the bureaucratic procedures imposed, oftentimes exclude the voice of the locals (Marsden 2004). In Mozambique, relationships with international financial institutions emerged in 1987 with the Structural Adjustments Programs (SAP). Subsequently, it experienced a rapid economic growth while inequalities and foreign debt increased. Yet, in contrast to the birth of numerous NGOs, human rights organizations and civil society groups in other African countries during the 1990s, civil society was still non-existent there. This dissertation explores crucial issues identified in the functioning of development projects in the local context. Once identified, these can be integrated into future projects, strengthening their impact and increasing their efficiency. Some are: participation in the decision-making processes before and during project implementation, program evaluation, relationships between NGOs and the public sector, and the integration of local culture and values in adapting the programs to the regional context. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

Chapter one lays the foundation by givmg an overview of what this thesis contains. It begins by stating the rationale of the study, addresses the problem statement, and shows why the study is significant. It also covers the theoretical framework, research questions and the chapter outline. Chapter two, on methodology, gives the reader information on how the research was conducted, the organisations interviewed and why these organisations were chosen. Chapter three covers secondary literature while chapter four focuses on secondary material on the Zimbabwe perspective of civil society. The fifth chapter is on data analysis and chapter six gives the findings, recommendations and a conclusion. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

The subject of human trafficking has been widely studied, but primarily from the perspective of the victims. This study, rather than focusing on the victims, focused on the NGOs that are part of the counter-trafficking movement. In a content analysis of the websites of 24 counter-trafficking organizations, the priorities of faith-based NGOs and secular NGOs were compared. Additionally, the study examined which theory of development a secular or faithbased organization was more likely to adopt. Findings indicate that the priorities of faith-based and secular NGOs do differ; secular NGOs mention more concrete priorities while faith-based NGOs are more vague. Secular NGOs also leaned more towards the radical theory of development, while faith-based NGOs did not seem to follow any particular theory of development. / Department of Sociology

There are growing calls for the involvement of multiple agencies to address health inequities. Many international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) working in health and development mention equity principles in their vision statements, missions, or strategic directions, and many authors view equity, including focusing on vulnerable populations, as an important role for these INGOs. However, there is a lack of in-depth empirical research on what influences INGOs’ implementation of equity principles in their work. The present study helps to fill this gap by using a case study to examine INGOs’ implementation of equity principles in their HIV/AIDS initiatives. In this case study, I focused on HIV/AIDS initiatives in Kenya to illustrate the nature of the implementation gap between the intent of INGOs to ensure equity in their work and actual practice, and to examine the various influences that affected the implementation of INGOs’ equity principles. I used HIV/AIDS as the exemplar because of the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS and the resulting large monetary investments made by donors to Southern countries and INGOs to address the disease. I conducted an in-depth case study of an INGO operating in Kenya. The research questions were: “What is the nature of the implementation gap between the intent of an INGO to ensure equity in its HIV/AIDS work and actual practice? What characterizes multi-level influences that affect an INGO’s implementation of equity principles in its HIV/AIDS work? How do multi-level influences affect an INGO’s implementation of equity principles in its HIV/AIDS work?” The case study design employed multiple methods including document reviews, interviews with staff of the INGO in Kenya, as well as its Northern INGO counterparts in Canada and the U.S., interviews with partners and clients of the INGO in Kenya, and participant observation with staff of the INGO in Kenya. I found that many players (e.g. Southern country government and the Northern donors) from different levels (e.g. in-country as well as Northern donor countries) shape INGOs’ implementation of equity principles in their HIV/AIDS work. Influences from donors include donor agendas and the focus of donor funding, as well as donor country policies. Influences from the Southern country government include government priorities and legislation. These influence INGOs’ implementation of equity principles in their HIV/AIDS work, and in some cases can outright contradict equity principles. However, since INGOs are often reliant on donor funding and need Southern governments’ permissions to work in-country, INGOs work within a system that is characterized by asymmetrical interdependence. They have to find a middle ground for implementing equity principles in their HIVAIDS work. Hence, these influences help give rise to an implementation gap between what INGOs intend to accomplish in implementing equity principles in HIV/AIDS work and actual practice. Implications for policy and practice include the need to: increase awareness of the roles various players have in implementing equity and the need for ongoing collaboration to achieve equity aims; continue work in capacity building on equity for INGO staff and its partners; and develop and refine tools for measuring and monitoring the implementation of equity. The present research clearly shows the significant role that INGOs play in equity, and the importance of understanding the multiple players and levels that influence INGOs’ implementation of equity principles in HIV/AIDS. The research can help INGOs, Southern country governments, and donors to better understand the system within which INGOs work in implementing equity principles, as multiple organizations continue to try to address health inequities around the globe.

<p>Empowerment is a catchword that has recently entered current development debate. Development is largely perceived as a process of building capacities hence empowering people to be able to handle their affairs. As such it is a concept highly espoused by prominent development actors and mainly Non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The study attempted to examine the theoretical and empirical aspects of community empowerment from a critical perspective by surveying activities of three NGOs in Ethiopia. A recent framework developed by a working group of the World Bank for measuring and structuring analysis was used for analyzing findings. Conceptualization and practices of empowerment seem to be at a nascent stage and tools for measuring it as well / that is what the findings of the study indicate. Despite the rhetoric surrounding the concept, the experience of surveyed NGOs also shows disparities between theory and practice.</p>

<p>This thesis presents a model of the characteristics of an effective nonprofit organisation and a practical tool to evaluate the extent to which nonprofit organisations comply with these characteristics. As part of identifying the characteristics of effective nonprofit organisations, it was necessary to establish whether or not nonprofit organisations and businesses were distinct from one another, since this would determine whether research on the characteristics of effective businesses could be applied to nonprofit organisations. An exploration of the key similarities and defining differences between nonprofit organisations and businesses subsequently revealed a number of startling and unexpected insights.</p>

The purpose of this study was to learn how five Indonesian grassroots nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) perceive, understand, interpret and operationalize the constructs of organizational effectiveness (OE) in the management of their organizations. Previous research has been largely based on findings from business oriented profit organizations in economically developed societies. However, there has been little information collected from non-profit organizations in developing countries, in particular indigenous NGOs working at grassroots level. The aim of this research was to redress that imbalance, in particular, to discover which aspects of organizational effectiveness appear to be relatively universal and which appear to be context-specific. / Data were collected using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data in the form of focus groups, interviews, case studies and surveys. Eigen value factor rotation and Cronbach's alpha analyses of qualitative data, as well as observer and methodological triangulation of qualitative data informed that data findings were statistically reliable and valid. Key findings indicate that participants and their stakeholders used language reflecting traditional management concepts to describe such events as differentiating short, medium and long term goals, and developing information and documentation procedures. Yet on almost every occasion these descriptors were augmented by context-specific additional discourse suggestive of a multidimensional view of each event. Approximately two thirds of effectiveness criteria adopted by NGO managers and their constituents involved relationships, communication. mutuality of goals, solidarity, empowerment, and self-help with only about one third of usage relating to functional management issues such as financial accountability, project monitoring and evaluation, and work processes. / Strongly featured in participants' perceptions effectiveness was a reflection of the dominant role played by political issues within the surrounding community and the lives of the participants. For example, in describing their efforts to achieve effectiveness, NGOs nearly always suggested criteria and values that described efforts to mobilize, advocate, influence and affect societal change. Activities utilized to transform the internal organization were thought by participants also to be transforming the organization's external political landscape. Context-specific findings included attempts to blend organizational structures with community practices. For example, one NGO purposely disbanded its legal status as a foundation (Yayasan) to become a collective. There were significant disagreements among participants regarding best organizational practices. Often, the grassroots NGOs appeared to be pulling in opposite directions. Those NGOs engaged primarily in striving to provide tangible services appeared to be moving towards more conservative, conventional management models that focus on structure, operating procedures, and fiscal and program assessments. Other NGOs, engaged in community mobilization, were moving towards more radical organizational structures and processes. / Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, 2005.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-- Lund University, International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, 2003. / Title from title screen (viewed 26 Nov. 2003). Available also in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Australian National University, 2003.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 118-126). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.