This work furthers the study of "Non-Governmental Organizations" (NGOs). It examines alternative Third World development strategies employed by them and the internal and external variables that may influence the formation or implementation of NGO strategies. A history of the growth and differentiation of NGOs follows an outline of the major channels for development assistance. / The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP), a major Religious NGO (RNGO), serves as the focus of this study. Four five-year stages are studied to determine how factors such as government, church, Third World recipients, and staff influenced the evolution of CCODP's development strategy. Case studies from Senegal, India, and Brazil show that CCODP has yet to be able to fully employ its development strategy. The principal hypothesis is that Church teachings and initiatives were more influential than other variables in determining CCODP's development strategy. This proposition was confirmed by this study.

This study explores the notion of partnership as an approach to long-term sustainable development in Africa, by examining relationships Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) forge with their donors and with counterpart NGOs in developing countries. A case study methodology was used to examine how Canadian NGOs in general, and CARE Canada in particular, work in partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and Kenyan local NGOs. The findings indicate that the development themes and agendas of the past three development decades are reflected in the activities and programs of Canadian NGOs. However, very little was learned about the contribution of partnership to African development. CARE Canada's partnership relations seem to be guided by the development priorities of funding agencies such as CIDA, which dictate how CARE relates to its Kenyan partners. Partnership seems only to facilitate an environment for dialogue between organizations, concerning needs, constraints and fiscal accountability. The study proposes that further research on the concept of development partnerships needs to be carried out in-depth to determine how this model can be used in building capacities of African organizations.

The role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has sparked increased interest in recent years as they have grown in prominence and international activity. The thesis looks at British and Canadian NGOs concerned with overseas development assistance, and asks what influence they have wielded in the formulation of their own governments' development policies. Based on recent policy community writing, a "conceptual map" is devised which suggests that six elements are important for any analysis of influence: context, content, motivations, resources, tactics, and channels. Chapters two to five use these elements to look at the broad "policy communities" in which official development policy is formulated, and to examine the increasing roles and activities of NGOs as lobbyists. Chapters six and seven take a closer look at two specific "policy networks" within those communities: the relationships created around the World Food Conference in 1974 are compared with those existing at the time of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit). The thesis concludes that NGOs have had an increasing but limited influence on government policy, given (1) an increase in the activity and influence of NGOs, (2) the greater relevance of certain "elements of influence" over others, and (3) the comparatively stronger influence of Canadian NGOs in relation to their British counterparts. The thesis' contribution to knowledge is based on its use of extensive and original primary sources and interviews in both countries, its application of a policy community approach to a new field in international relations, and its systematic attempt to answer evolving questions about this growing, international, and non-governmental force.

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