Domestic Non-governmental Organizations Research Articles

Зарубіжний досвід та національні традиції для повоєнного відновлення сільських територій та аграрного виробництва України

The subject of the study is the foreign experience of rebuilding the agricultural sector of the economy by European countries, which was devastated during the Second World War. The purpose of the article is the historical and economic characterization of the process of the revival of European agriculture in the post-war period to determine the possibilities of extrapolation of this experience in the restoration of rural areas and agricultural production of Ukraine at the current stage. The research results in an analysis of key agrarian reforms, an exploration of the unique aspects of the economic policies of European governments in rejuvenating the agricultural sector, and a justification for the potential utilization of this foreign experience in modern Ukraine. The article presents a positive historical experience of successful practices and government measures in post-war agricultural recovery and rural community development, substantiating the relevance and possibilities of its implementation in Ukraine. It has been demonstrated that pivotal agrarian reforms laid the foundation for the establishment of an effective and productive farming industry, contributed to the overall market reorientation of agriculture, and facilitated its modernization through the adoption of mechanized equipment and advanced agricultural production methods. Borrowing and implementing contemporary local ecological, energy-efficient, social, and educational public initiatives holds promise for the development of rural areas in Ukraine and can be achieved through the synergy of international and domestic non-governmental organizations and local self-governing bodies. The Italian experience in equalizing regional disparities in economic development to achieve national integrity and unity is beneficial for Ukraine. Leveraging foreign experience while considering national traditions will strengthen food security, increase agricultural productivity, promote agricultural entrepreneurship, and support the sustainable development of Ukraine's rural areas.

АСПЕКТИ МАРКЕТИНГОВОГО МЕНЕДЖМЕНТУ ГРОМАДСЬКИХ ОРГАНІЗАЦІЙ В КОНТЕКСТІ ДИСЦИПЛІНИ «ІСТОРІЇ ЕКОНОМІКИ ТА ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ ДУМКИ»

The article considers the issue of ensuring the effectiveness of domestic non-governmental organizations in terms of theoretical and practical components of management and marketing. The evolution of the principles of the "third sector" in space of "History of Economics and Economic Thought" is traced. The stages and main tendencies of civil society development in Ukraine since the 90s of the XX century to up to date are systematized. The factors of ensuring the effective operation of public organizations are analyzed - strategic planning, communication channels, project management, fundraiser, financial sustainability indicators, monitoring and transparency. Peculiarities of marketing in the field of charitable institutes and volunteering are considered. The method of managing changes in non-governmental associations of Ukraine to the conditions of martial law has been implemented. New trends in the management of public organizations are identified: adaptability of strategic planning; mobility in resource management; maximum transparency; effective internal and external feedback; digitalization; creation of networks of non-governmental organizations; introduction of project fundraising. It is generalized that in the conditions of war leaders of non-governmental organizations combine several roles: 1) a marketer who forms the requests of NGOs and makes proposals to potential donors; 2) project manager, who administers the progress of team tasks and deadlines; 3) PR-professional; 4) a strategist who adapts the capabilities of the NGO to the donor's requests; 5) a sales specialist who, as it can be said, sells NGO to the donor; 5) a financial manager who efficiently and transparently uses the resources involved; 6) a leader-manager who harmoniously combines professional and soft-skills.

Chinese Foundations and the Challenge of ‘Going International

China’s international cooperation strategies are gradually changing due to evolving views about the limits of its internationalisation approach, which has traditionally mainly focused on building governmental and business relationships. Intensified interactions with low-income countries in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative are perceived to benefit from an increased role for its domestic non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This article explores China’s initial steps in enabling the domestic NGO landscape to internationalise by looking at this development from an organisational capacity perspective. By assessing five key organisational characteristics of 36 Chinese foundations engaging in international cooperation, we find that the average organisational capacity for international cooperation is still limited but shows gradual improvement. While they all comply with government regulations in governance and several foundations have large budgets and capacity for domestic operations, our findings suggest that only a few currently mobilise substantial human and financial resources for their international activities.

China’s Overseas NGO Law and the Future of International Civil Society

ABSTRACT China’s law to control international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) has sent shockwaves through international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society and expert communities as the epitome of a worldwide trend of closing civic spaces. Since the Overseas NGO Management Law was enacted in January 2017, its implementation has seen mixed effects and diverging patterns of adaptation among Chinese party-state actors at the central and local levels and among domestic NGOs and INGOs. To capture the formal and informal dynamics underlying their mutual interactions in the longer term, this article employs a theory of institutional change inspired by Elinor Ostrom’s distinction between rules-in-form versus rules-in-use and identifies four scenarios for international civil society in China – “no change,” “restraining,” “recalibrating” and “reorienting.” Based on interviews, participant observation and Chinese policy documents and secondary literature, the respective driving forces, plausibility, likelihood and longer-term implications of each scenario are assessed. It is found that INGOs’ activities are increasingly affected by the international ambitions of the Chinese party-state, which enmeshes both domestic NGOs and INGOs as agents in its diplomatic efforts to redefine civil society participation on a global scale.

Non-governmental organizations, boomerangs, and forest loss: a cross-national analysis

ABSTRACT On the one hand, some research finds that higher numbers of domestic non-governmental organizations (NOGs) are related to less forest loss, while others find that higher numbers of international NGOs are related to less forest loss. Moreover, some find that neither domestic nor international NGOs have an impact on forest loss. We argue that Keck and Sikkink’s insight regarding a boomerang pattern of influence between domestic and international NGOs is the missing piece of the puzzle regarding past contradictory findings. While the activities of domestic NGOs should be successful at reducing forest loss given their local accountability and closeness to affected populations, their efforts could be more effective when combined with the resources and power of international NGOs. To test this hypothesis, we use ordinary least squares regression analysis for a sample of 75 low- and middle-income nations to see how the interaction between domestic and international NGOs impacts forest loss. In support of the ‘boomerang effect,’ we find domestic NGOs are related to less forest loss in low- and middle-income nations with higher rather than lower numbers of international NGOs. The findings suggest that international NGOs enhance the ability of domestic NGOs to decrease forest loss by providing financial and organizational resources.

Combatting Human Trafficking since Palermo: What Do We Know about What Works?

ABSTRACT In 2016, there were an estimated 40.3 million victims of modern slavery in the world, more than were enslaved during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Since the adoption of the 2000 UN Trafficking Protocol, numerous efforts from inter-governmental agencies, governmental agencies, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), and domestic non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have strived to combat the phenomena of human trafficking through legal-institutional means, direct interventions, and programs of support for those exploited. This anti-trafficking work has paid varying degrees of attention to the principles and methods of monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment, but has often been subject to the end of project evaluations. Similar to findings of reviews of evaluations in the international development sector, evaluations of anti-trafficking programing have primarily focused on assessing the progress of project implementation and the achievement of outputs, rather than tracking the achievement of outcomes or impact. This is further complicated by the hidden nature of human trafficking and the trauma experienced by human-trafficking victims. As a consequence, despite some evidence of raised awareness and increased levels of funding, organizations are still struggling to demonstrate impact and discern what works to combat human trafficking. This article analyses the evaluations of counter-trafficking programing produced since the Protocol to draw conclusions regarding the lessons learned from these interventions and the methods used to monitor and evaluate human-trafficking programs. By highlighting gaps, this article provides a series of suggestions on how to better track progress and impact toward the elimination of modern slavery.

Drivers and Constraints to the Adoption of Organic Leafy Vegetable Production in Nigeria: A Livelihood Approach

Nigeria, the seventh most populous country in the world, is plagued by livelihood challenges such as poverty and food insecurity, which are more pervasive among farming households and rural communities. Organic farming is being promoted by some domestic non-governmental organizations as a means of addressing the problem of poverty and food insecurity among farming households and rural communities in the country. Promoters consider organic farming to be well-suited to smallholder farmers’ socio-economic conditions in Nigeria, and that it can help improve their livelihood conditions through increased agricultural productivity and farm income. However, the adoption of the technology by smallholder farmers has been underwhelming, for reasons yet to be studied. Using a livelihood framework and through a case study of farmers in Ibadan, Oyo State, this study qualitatively explores and provides insights into the factors that influence, constrain, and gender the adoption of organic farming in Nigeria. Overall, it was found that a mix of factors, which include institutional considerations, farmers’ livelihood assets and vulnerability contexts, their livelihood activities, and gender-related variables shaped adoption decision-making. The policy implications of the findings were outlined.

Contentions over World Culture: The Rise of Legal Restrictions on Foreign Funding to NGOs, 1994–2015

AbstractThe last two decades have witnessed an unprecedented rise in government restrictions on foreign funding to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Often in the name of defending the nation from outside influences, over 60 countries have implemented laws limiting foreign funding to NGOs. We use event history analyses to evaluate domestic and global explanations for the adoption of these policies over the period 1994–2015. Prior work has argued that funding restrictions result from real or perceived threats to political regimes, especially in countries with competitive elections. We add to this story by situating it in a larger global and cultural context: new funding laws are part of a growing backlash against the liberal international order, which has long sponsored international and domestic NGOs devoted to issues such as human rights and the environment. In an era of increasing resistance toward globally linked civil society groups—the primary carriers of liberal world society—NGO funding restrictions are now diffusing widely across the international system. We argue that restriction policies will be most common among countries that are linked to illiberal or anti-Western organizations and discourses in the international community. Moreover, adoption will accelerate as more countries do it, representing a growing “wave” or backlash against the liberal international order. Findings support the prior literature as well as our new arguments regarding illiberal international organizations and global backlash.

The Identification, Recovery, and Reintegration of Victims of Child Trafficking within ASEAN: An Exploratory Study of Knowledge Gaps and Emerging Challenges

ABSTRACT Child trafficking is a critical public health and human rights issue within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Efforts to ensure the timely identification, successful recovery, and safe and sustainable reintegration of children within the ASEAN have been codified in a number of legal obligations at both the international and regional levels, as well as within non-binding guidelines. However, little research has focused on the extent to which these commitments have translated into the effective identification, recovery, and reintegration for child victims. The present exploratory study included semi-structured key informant interviews (N = 248) with representatives of the United Nations (UN), governmental agencies, and international and domestic non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in three ASEAN nations with a history of child trafficking: Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic [Lao PDR], and Thailand. The interview data were analyzed and synthesized in order to identify current trends, knowledge gaps, and emerging challenges pertaining to the identification, successful recovery, and safe and sustainable reintegration of victims of child trafficking. Findings indicate that despite some noteworthy successes, the commitments that have been made in mandates and guidelines seldom translate into tangible actions. The majority of victims are not being formally identified, survivors rarely receive the psychosocial services that are outlined in international and regional guidelines, and safe and sustainable reintegration efforts often insufficiently address issues related to social inclusion, economic empowerment, and access to viable job opportunities to enable victims to reestablish their lives and prevent re-trafficking.

ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОЕ ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ В СУВЕРЕННОМ КЫРГЫЗСТАНЕ: СОСТОЯНИЕ И ПРОБЛЕМЫ СТАНОВЛЕНИЯ (1991-2010 гг.)

The possibilities for resolving environmental problems in Kyrgyzstan depend not only on political and economic implementations of environmental protection, but also on the general ecological culture of the population. One of the most important factors of forming the ecological culture of the modern Kyrgyzstan society is the new system of continuous environmental education and upbringing, based on the principles of sustainable development. The purpose of this article is to study the status, achievements and problems of the development of environmental education in the context of the environment protection policy of the Kyrgyz Republic in 1992-2010. The following tasks are being solved to achieve this goal: the process of forming the legislative base of environmental education in sovereign Kyrgyzstan is shown; priority areas for the development of environmental education is identified; The role of international and domestic non-governmental organizations in the process of formation and development of environmental education for the sustainable development of Kyrgyzstan is determined.

Governance in the early stages of marine protected area development: A case study of Nusa Penida District Marine Conservation Area, Indonesia

This research presents a governance analysis of an Indonesian marine protected area (MPA) during the early phases of its implementation – Nusa Penida District Marine Conservation Area. Attention is drawn to the importance of participatory and communication incentives in the design and implementation stages of the MPA, which were largely facilitated through the actions of overseas and domestic non-governmental organisations. Following the official designation of the MPA, management responsibility transferred to district government and state institutions, leading to a considerable reduction in the strength of incentives and uncertainty over leadership amongst local stakeholders. The implications of this situation are discussed and recommendations for future management are identified.

Toward Political Change: Transnational Advocacy Network for Gendercide Issue in the People’s Republic of China

This article examines the activism process in the People’s Republic of China-(PRC) by substantial local civil state actors and local Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in eradicating the custom of gendercide. Gendercide, which determines as gender-based genocide was getting worse after the adoption of the One-Child Policy in 1970s. Thus, this research tries to explain Chinese NGOs advocacy process in building the Transnational Advocacy Networks (TANs) to deliver the case of gendercide in the PRC using the ‘Boomerang Pattern’. Besides analyzing the role of local NGOs, the authors also examine the United Nations (UN) and the European Parliament, hand in hand with the United States (US) as the state actor which involves in the advocacy process. The finding of this research are: 1) Domestic NGOs have carried out numerous actions against the Chinese government by filling the lawsuit of forced abortion to the court and protection by giving a safe house for pregnant women; 2) TANs is created when the domestic NGOs build a network with other INGOs to advocate this gender-based genocide in the PRC; 3) INGOs force the United States, the UN and the member in European Parliament to response the PRC’s government by giving a condemn. As a result, these advocacy works can affect the gendercide policy though influencing the Chinese government’s process of decision making. The policy changed into ‘two-child policy’ from ‘one-child policy’. Keywords: gendercide, transnational advocacy networks, People’s Republic of China.

The Emerging Welfare Mix for Syrian Refugees in Turkey: The Interplay between Humanitarian Assistance Programmes and the Turkish Welfare System

AbstractThis paper explores the key features of the emerging welfare mix for Syrian refugees in Turkey and identifies the modes of interaction between humanitarian assistance programmes, domestic policy responses and the Turkish welfare system. The welfare mix for Syrian refugees is a joint product of humanitarian assistance programmes implemented by international and domestic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and domestic social policy programmes. Three policy domains are considered: social assistance schemes, employment and health care services. The paper suggests that granting of temporary protection status to Syrian migrants in Turkey and the agreement between Turkey and the EU shaped the welfare mix by empowering the public sector mandate vis-à-vis the humanitarian actors. As a result, the role of the public sector increases at the expense of NGOs, especially in social assistance and health care, while NGOs are increasingly specialised in protection work (especially in mental health support), where the Turkish welfare system has been weak. Employment has been essentially disregarded, in both humanitarian and social policy programmes, which casts doubt on the prospect of successful economic integration. Finally, this paper argues that the convergence of the rights of immigrants and citizens may well occur in mature components of less comprehensive welfare systems.

Common Assessment Framework – Improving Organizational Performance of Municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Common Assessment Framework (CAF), a European Total Quality Management (TQM) methodology, has been applied by municipalities across Bosnia and Herzegovina for a number of years. Municipalities have used CAF as a self-assessment tool to identify and meet their own development needs and improve organizational performance. Along with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Business Friendly Certificate (BFC) standards, CAF has been promoted by domestic non-governmental and international organizations as a TQM tool for public sector. This article provides an insight into experience of municipalities in BiH with implementation of CAF by focusing on their thematic priorities, organizational efficiency, output, outcome and citizens’ satisfaction.

Citizenship education as NGO intervention: turning migrant children in Shanghai into ‘new citizens’

Given the rapidly increasing presence of poor and low-income migrant children in Chinese metropolises, some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have shifted their intervention strategies from material assistance (‘spreading kindness’) to value and capacity building (‘building new citizens’). Drawing on ethnographic data from an ongoing, longitudinal study (2007–2016) of migrant children in Shanghai, this paper critically examines the citizenship education initiated by a domestic NGO, Changban Volunteer Center (a pseudonym), which seeks to instil such children a set of civic virtues to foster their educational advancement and upward social mobility. The theoretical framework of multidimensional citizenship is employed to tackle the identity challenges faced by migrant children in dealing with multifaceted identities attached to urban, rural and global settings. This paper contributes to the theoretical debate on interventions by educational NGOs, in particular how they perceive and implement citizenship education for disadvantaged internal migrants. It further considers the potential of this type of informal education to help cultivate citizenship-related attitudes and capacities and to address the educational exclusion of migrant children.

Civil society in Bosnia Herzegovina. From the late ‘80s to nowadays: a historical perspective

A set of historical and political factors has shaped the evolution of civil society in Bosnia Herzegovina over the years. The socialist rule influenced the way in which citizens organized, while in the aftermath of the war the intervention of foreign donors and agencies brought about the prospering of domestic non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In the recent period, protests and participatory practices emerged and spread throughout the country, stamping indelibly its social fabric and influencing the practices of formal organizations. This article provides an overview of the evolution of domestic civil society during the country’s recent past, examining how it evolved from the end of the socialist period to nowadays. The article begins by exploring the grassroots initiatives and the anti-war protests of the late 1980s, instances of an “unofficial” civil society stemmed from the liberalization of a socialist system on the brink of collapse. Next, it describes the mushrooming of civil society organizations in the aftermath of the war, before focusing on the grassroots civic initiatives unfolded in the 2000s, peaked with the 2013-14 protests and the surge of participatory assemblies known as “plenums.”

‘Social work of boundaries’: emerging multiple social work fields in post-Soviet Eurasia

ABSTRACTThe restructuring of welfare provisions in post-Soviet Kazakhstan, a newly independent state in Central Asia, has been characterized by the shift from the Soviet welfare system dominated by the state to the welfare mix consisting of the state, the market, and the nonprofit, nongovernmental sector. One of the features of the post-Soviet welfare reconfiguration has been the development of social work as a new approach to welfare provision and an emerging professional field. This analysis draws upon key informant interviews conducted in Kazakhstan over the summer of 2012 and multiple relevant policy texts. This paper examines how the emerging fields of social work in post-Soviet Kazakhstan have been shaped by the shifting national and global policy contexts. More specifically, I identify two major fields of social work within the nongovernmental and the governmental sectors that are influenced by different institutional environments. First, domestic nongovernmental organizations have been increasingly involved in the provision of social services; and second, new or reformed governmental organizations have begun to introduce social services and social work. As a result, social work has emerged not as a coherent, homogenous field but as distinct, fragmentary fields.

NGOs, INGOs, and Environmental Policy Reform, 1970–2010

We examine the effects of domestic and international environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on pro-environmental policy adoption using cross-national data. We address three views: (1) a bottom-up perspective, prioritizing the role of domestic NGOs; (2) an interaction imagery, stressing alliances or reinforcing pressures between domestic and international NGOs; (3) a top-down view, emphasizing the part of international NGOs. We use event history analysis to model the cross-national adoption of three major pro-environmental policy reforms between 1970 and 2010: omnibus environmental laws, environmental impact assessment reporting requirements, and national environmental ministries. Results show that international NGOs are strongly associated with pro-environmental reforms, with very large effects. By contrast, domestic NGOs are generally not associated with policy adoption in global analyses. In a subsample of democratic countries, we find smaller effects of domestic NGOs for some outcomes. We find no evidence that international NGOs amplify the effects of domestic ones. While there are compelling historical examples of bottom-up and interaction processes, the broad pattern of environmental policy adoption across the world is better explained by global rather than domestic organizational dynamics.

Green Watershed in Yunnan: a multi-scalar analysis of environmental non-governmental organisation (eNGO) relationships in China

ABSTRACTResponding to China's major environmental challenges, researchers are increasingly exploring dynamics between international non-governmental organisations, the nation-state, and local communities. Much less understood are domestic environmental non-governmental organisations (eNGOs) and their interactions with actors across scales. This paper responds by exploring domestic eNGOs and interactions with institutional actors, including international donors, and with levels of Chinese government. The practices of eNGOs in China are influenced by interactions at various scales. Rather than being directly influenced by international partners and simply constrained by state regulations, Chinese eNGOs are embedded in more complex power relations. These interrelationships are exemplified in the operations of Green Watershed, a domestic eNGO working in Yunnan Province. Green Watershed has extensive interactions with international donors and various levels of government as a result of its national campaign and long-term local projects. Relationships between eNGOs’ international donors and the Chinese government are significant in influencing eNGO practice. NGO–government relations in China are inconsistent and constantly changing owing to the diverse interests and priorities of the various levels of government. The impacts of the local practice of Chinese eNGOs are deeply informed by their relationships both at and beyond the local level. Complex interrelationships make it difficult to achieve bottom-up, participatory resource management in China.

The Venezuelan Government and the Global Field: The Legislative Battle over Foreign Funding for Nongovernmental Organizations

In recent years, several governments have targeted nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) by enacting legislation that prohibits foreign funding for them. This article uses diplomatic cables, newspaper articles, and interviews with representatives from NGOs and donors to explain the Venezuelan government's passage of legislation prohibiting foreign funding for political NGOs in 2010. Existent political, sociological, and globalization‐oriented theories fail to explain the passage and timing of this legislation. Instead, I utilize and extend global fields theory to examine the Venezuelan government's redirection of its foreign relations, which I argue generated the political opportunity for the government to pass this legislation. I show that the government initially remained keyed into a global subfield involving groups that successfully pressured it to reconsider a more radical form of legislation prohibiting direct foreign funding for all NGOs when it came up for discussion in 2006, including the U.S. and Western European governments, and domestic NGOs. By 2010, however, the government had become embedded within a global subfield involving authoritarian and anti‐imperial governments that had already passed similar legislation, and domestic community councils. These newfound relations insulated the government from reconsideration and allowed it the political opportunity to pass a new, less radical piece of legislation.