The Effect of Religious Orientation on International Relief and Development Organizations

Abstract

Do variations in orientation make a difference for the programs and policies of international relief and development organizations? We analyze data on 63 American religiously based organizations and denominational agencies that provide emergency relief and long-term economic development services to people and communities in other countries. We find that differences in tradition make very little difference in the size of programs or in the actual program activities. The most significant difference between traditions is in how they publicly legitimate their activity to their constituents. For example, analysis of mission statements and program descriptions indicates that, in the explicit justifications for their activities, evangelical groups face different ideological tasks than mainline Protestant and ecumenical organizations. More subtle legitimations occur in how tasks are defined in organizational structure and budget accounting categories. Here, mainline Protestant and ecumenical groups are the most likely to draw sharp distinctions between religious church extension programs and secular relief and development activity, while evangelical organizations are more likely to blur such boundaries.