Influence Of Non-governmental Organizations Research Articles

Confronting the Structure of International Development: Political Agency and the Chiquitanos of Bolivia

In the past few decades, Latin America has encountered two related developments that are transforming indigenous peoples' ownership, use, and management of land and resources. The first has been a wave of political organizing among indigenous communities. International linkages, national and regional confederations, and local, intercommunal organizations have proliferated across Central and South America. Secondly, there has been a swift rise in the number and influence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), which have brought unprecedented financial support and political leverage to the struggles of indigenous people. This paper examines development, natural resource management, and ecopolitics in the Chiquitano communities of Lomerio in the Bolivian lowlands. I discuss the impact of NGO and government policies and practices on Chiquitano political organization, and present examples of political agency on the part of the Chiquitanos, and features of the structural conditions that frame relations among the different groups.

Institutional Support for the Tourist Industry in Post-Socialist Europe: A Comparison of Bulgaria and Romania

This paper examines the changing institutional context in Romania and Bulgaria, focusing on the emergence and influence of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in tourism development in rural areas. The paper compares the experiences of two organizations, the origins of which (one a government organized NGO and the other a donor NGO) may have otherwise excluded them from theoretical consideration as NGOs because of their close relationships with state organs. In practice, however, the significance of their ‘non-government status’ cannot be overlooked. Despite the economic and socio-political differences between the two countries, Romania and Bulgaria share common problems with rural tourism development programmes. This paper illustrates how, given these similarities, organizations have responded variously to them, leading to different levels of state involvement in the tourism development process.

Bosnian NGOs and Tourism: Grassroots, Spires and Minarets

The socio-economic and political influence of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the developing world has long since been discussed in the development literature, but as yet the role and interaction of tourism within the ‘third’ sector has generally been overlooked. Using case studies from Bosnia-Herzegovina, this paper studies the current development of the nascent Bosnian NGO sector, in relation to the framework of understanding regarding the evolving status of roles and identities NGOs take on in other parts of the developing world. More specifically, it examines the usage and position of tourism within NGOs whose concerns focus on the environment and cultural heritage in Bosnia-Herzegovina today.

The growing influence of non governmental organisations (NGOs) in international health: challenges and opportunities.

The growing influence of non governmental organizations (NGOs) in international health is occurring in the face of major challenges and opportunities. These challenges include the continued increases in global poverty status, the growing influence of private-funded health systems, the need for sustainability of external-funded programs, and the clamour for community participation in the planning and management of external-funded programs. Opportunities include the near universal recognition of the indispensable roles of NGOs by bilateral institutions and governments, the current emphasis on global trade by developed countries, and the need to develop political and economic systems that are equitable and promote social development. This article is an overview of these challenges and how these challenges can become excellent opportunities for NGOs to improve the health and social development of target communities in developing countries.

The provision of environmental goods and services by local non-governmental organizations: An illustration from the Squamish Forest District, Canada

In rapidly-growing rural areas, new demands for provision of environmental and recreational goods and services have been accompanied by governmental policies and programs designed to involve non-governmental organizations (NGOs) directly in environmental decision-making and day-to-day management. In this paper, it is argued that certain local-level NGOs have become increasingly influential in the provision of environmental goods and services locally by combining their understanding of policy-making, with an awareness of local environmental issues and opportunities for specific projects. By developing a four-part framework, the term ‘exchange agents’ presented by Lowe et al. (1993) is adapted and developed to explain the means by which NGOs gain influence in environmental management. The framework focuses attention on the changing character of rural areas, NGO roles and orientations, networking among NGOs and funding partnerships between NGOs and public agencies. The framework is used to explain the differential influence of local-level NGOs in the Squamish Forest District, located near Vancouver, Canada. From this analysis some cautions are raised about ‘community stewardship’, the rubric by which local-level environmental policies and programs are currently implemented.

Deutsche Lateinamerikapolitik, 1918–1933: Modernisierungsansätze im Zeichen transnationaler Beziehungen

After defeat in World War I Germans emphasized the significance of Latin America for the recuperation of the Reich. These expectations were fueled by the survival of investments, commercial ties, and by a wave of emigrants to that last free continent. This article asks how German policy towards Latin America worked under the new conditions and which groups influenced it. What were the aims of this policy, and what did it accomplish? The article shows that the official level of foreign policy was relatively insignificant while the influence of nongovernmental organizations or transnational actors increased steadily. In general, German foreign policy towards Latin America had two intentions: it wanted to preserve the cultural ties to the 'Auslandsdeutsche' and to reconstruct capital interests and trade. Both schemes could only be accomplished in part. In all sectors, German interests had to accept United States leadership in the Western Hemisphere. Moreover, conditions in Latin America changed markedly. Hence, the close relations of the 'Auslandsdeutsche' to Latin American governments and functional elites gained in importance. Transnational relations were a flexible and polychrome fabric that withstood the disruptions of war and Depression.

'The conscience of the world': the influence of non-governmental organizations in the UN system and The World Bank and non-governmental organizations: the limits of apolitical development

'The conscience of the world': the influence of non-governmental organizations in the UN system and The World Bank and non-governmental organizations: the limits of apolitical development

Book Reviews : The Conscience of the World: The Influence of Non-Governmental Organizations in the UN System edited by Peter Willetts. London: Hurst & Co, 1996. £35 cased; £14.95 paper. 333pp. (Published by the Brookings Institution in the Americas)

Book Reviews : The Conscience of the World: The Influence of Non-Governmental Organizations in the UN System edited by Peter Willetts. London: Hurst & Co, 1996. £35 cased; £14.95 paper. 333pp. (Published by the Brookings Institution in the Americas)