NGO Sector Research Articles

Роль и место технологий «цветных революций» в событиях «арабской весны»

The article examines the events that took hold of the region of the Middle East and North Africa, united under the bright and elegant name "Arab Spring". However, the colorful term hides the phenomenon of an unsightly part of modern politics - a part that is a special technology of "hybrid warfare". "Hybrid warfare" arose from the ruins of the bipolar system, and it includes all methods of undermining, destroying and ruining the nation state. "Hybrid warfare" is the complex hostile actions of the leading Western powers, carried out against geopolitical competitors. The "color revolution" is a component of the "hybrid warfare", more precisely, it is a specific operational phase that is limited in time and space. This is a special operation, in which, as a rule, a very long preparatory period is allocated (it can last up to ten years), when a pro-Western anti-state elite is formed in the country — object of the "hybrid warfare", the NGO sector is financed, mass media resources of neoliberal, westernized type are founded. The operational, visible, phase of the "color revolution" is short-term; as a rule, it lasts from one day to a couple of weeks. It is expressed in mass, in the overwhelming majority youth protests, organized by means of cognitive and technological methods. More than representative examples of Libya and Syria, as the main regional geopolitical competitors of the West, are used to demonstrate the preparatory and operational phase of the "color revolutions", which have reached the extreme goal of the "hybrid warfare": the deployment of a full-scale civil war, the formation of parallel government bodies supported from outside, and foreign armed intervention. The “color revolution” does not depend on the socio-economic conditions in the country, its deployment depends only on the will and goals of the "customers". Libya and Syria have shown that "color revolutions" pave the way and serve as a locomotive for the outbreak of civil war and foreign intervention. As a result, Libya, which challenged the Western financial system, was thrown out of civilizational development; the country currently has not a single formal sign of a state left. For a decade, Syria has been waging an endless unequal battle for the right to preserve statehood and an independent path of development. The article contains voluminous material for the formation of students in the framework of the "International Relations" field. English version of the article is available at URL: https://panor.ru/articles/role-and-place-of-colour-revolution-technologies-in-the-events-of-the-arab-spring/76946.html

What affects employment by NGOs? Counteraction to precarious employment in the Polish non-profit sector in the perspective of COVID-19 pandemic crises

Research background: The precarious employment in non-governmental organizations has not been the subject of thorough scientific considerations so far. Meanwhile, the dominance of flexible forms of employment in an organization evokes a sense of instability, insecurity and uncertainty among employees. It weakens the relationship between staff and the organization, which, by not providing employees with prospects for permanent employment, creates a threat to its own development. The COVID-19 pandemic is reinforcing these fears as the situation in the labour market continues to deteriorate.
 Purpose of the article: The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting NGOs employment of contract employees, as a key condition for crowding out precarious employment.
 Methods: Logistic regression analysis was conducted based on a national representative survey of 1500 Polish NGOs.
 Findings & value added: Its results indicate that NGOs are increasing the employment of contract staff in order to cope with the excessive bureaucracy of public administration. A stimulating impact on employment is also provided by difficulties in maintaining good staff and volunteers, as well as when there is no sense of security in running an organization. In turn, the lack of people ready to selflessly get involved in an organization's activities, as well as difficulties in accessing premises appropriate to NGOs both reduce the desire among staff to be employed full-time. The monitoring of precarious employment (PE) in NGOs is of key importance in the shaping and effectiveness of national policies aimed at improving the living standards of society as a whole. NGOs are an important element, as they fill the gaps remaining in the implementation of such policies. In the long term, improving the quality of full-time employment in such entities by reducing the barriers to their activity will increase their potential for fulfilling their social mission. To date, such barriers and their relation to employment have not been considered in research literature. However, a considerable proportion of employees in the Polish NGO sector may join the ranks of those excluded from employment and deprived of income due to the crisis on the job market caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article contributes to the existing literature and practice by identifying the influence of wide spectrum of barriers of NGOs activity on permanent employment.

What Drives Performance Measurement in NGOs?: A Case Study from Pakistan

The purpose of this research paper is to understand how an NGO in Pakistan perceives the utility of its performance measurement system and thus what drives design of its PMS. The study explores the phenomenon from the perspective of NGO managers by applying qualitative approach and using critical realism to explore the issue. The paper presents the findings on the basis of an instrumental case study conducted in Pakistan. The research identifies the main objective of PMS in this NGO is to help the organization remain sustainable and its managers’ desire for legitimacy has deeply influenced the design of the PMS of the NGO. Results suggest managers perceive organizational credibility and not the accountability as the most important factor in determining its sustainability. The evidence is based on findings of a single NGO case study from Pakistan. Furthermore, the findings are based only on the perceptions of the managers of the selected organisation. Future research including perception of other stakeholders in other NGOs may help in deepening the understanding of the issue and validating the presented results. However, given that little research has been conducted within the NGO sector on drivers of performance measurement this research provides useful evidence that can be further developed. The paper specifically contributes by extending prior PM literature in an NGO environment. It has implications for the further development of legitimacy theories in the NGO sector. It raises issues about how primary focus of reporting in NGOs is shifting from accountability to show-casing.

Disaster Risk Governance in Bangladesh: How Do NGOs Find Themselves in the Network?

The roles and responsibilities of state-led organizations have remained the primary focus of disaster risk governance (DRG) literature. While integration of NGOs into formal disaster risk reduction (DRR) has been persistently promoted by the recent United Nations’ DRG frameworks to support state interventions, the low uptake of embracing core principles of DRR by NGOs is noted. Tension within network governance of DRG, including state and non-governmental actors, is also reported by several scholars, particularly in developing countries, but has not been investigated empirically with greater details. To contribute to this research agenda, the study aims to explore how NGOs perceive and value their contributions to DRG. Based on a structured questionnaire survey with development activists (DAs) from NGOs in the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh, the study found that reactive interventions (emergency response and post-disaster support) by them was perceived to be the most critical focus of DRG despite changing theoretical and global perspectives towards pre-disaster preparedness and mitigative measures. Vertical network governance was favoured within NGOs’ own networks outside the state’s direct supervision, identifying a critical role played by local NGOs. The capacity of leadership of NGOs was promoted by the respondents who worked in decision-making positions within their organizations, whilst professionals with lack of experience within the NGO sector tended to favour state actors. The findings could be critical in understanding local capacities and in co-creating hazard specific plans using various stakeholders.

Building the BBC-branded NGO: Overseas Development, the World Service, and the Marshall Plan of the Mind, c.1965-99.

Overseas broadcasting has been an integral part of the BBC's remit since the creation of its Empire Service in 1932. Throughout its history, the BBC has consistently argued that its services for overseas listeners should not be classified as a form of British propaganda, but instead understood as a fundamentally benevolent undertaking, providing objective, impartial, and trustworthy news and information to hundreds of millions of listeners worldwide. In the post-imperial era, the World Service increasingly depicted itself as not just a 'global public service broadcaster', but also as a kind of humanitarian endeavour, an 'Oxfam of the Mind' which made a significant contribution to Britain's wider efforts in the field of overseas development. This article critically evaluates this vision of the BBC World Service as a post-imperial 'gift to the world'. It outlines how, in the early 1990s, the World Service created the first BBC-branded overseas development NGO, the Marshall Plan of the Mind (MPM), which used both UK government and external philanthropic funding to help promote British commercial and diplomatic interests in post-communist Eastern Europe. MPM is then contextualized in relation to the World Service's longer (and largely overlooked) history of overseas development work and its relationship with the NGO sector, both before and after the end of the Cold War. By exploring how and why the World Service inserted itself into the NGO sphere, this work contributes to ongoing historical debates regarding the BBC's relationship with the state and the role(s) that global development NGOs have played in shaping Britain's post-imperial 'place in the world'.

Salinity and food security in southwest coastal Bangladesh: impacts on household food production and strategies for adaptation

The rising salinity of land and water is an important, but understudied, climate change-sensitive trend that can exert devastating impacts on food security. This mixed methods investigation combines salinity testing with qualitative research methods to explore these impacts in one of the most salinity-affected regions in the world—the Ganges River Delta. Data collection in 2015 and 2016 undertaken in Bangladesh’s southwest coastal region and Dhaka consisted of 83 in-depth household and stakeholder interviews, six community focus groups, and salinity testing of 27 soil and 45 surface and groundwater samples. Results show that household food production is a multifaceted cornerstone of rural livelihood in the southwest coastal region, and virtually every component of it—from rice plantation and homestead gardening to livestock cultivation and aquaculture—is being negatively affected by salinity. Although households have attempted multiple strategies for adapting food production, effective adaptation remains elusive. At the community level, improved irrigation and floodplain management, as well as restrictions on saltwater aquaculture to abate salinity, are viewed as promising interventions. However, the potential of such measures remains unrealized on a broad scale, as they require a level of external resources and regulation not yet provided by the NGO and government sectors. This study elucidates issues of accessibility, equity, and governance surrounding agricultural interventions for climate change-related salinity adaptation, and its findings can help inform the community of organizations that will increasingly need to grapple with salinity in order to guarantee food security in the context of environmental change.

Opening the black box of conservation philanthropy: A co-produced research agenda on private foundations in marine conservation

In the ‘new Gilded Age’ of mega-wealth and big philanthropy, academics are not paying enough attention to private foundations. Mirroring upward trends in philanthropy broadly, marine conservation philanthropy has more than doubled in recent years, reaching virtually every globally salient marine conservation issue in all corners of the planet. This paper argues that marine conservation philanthropy warrants a dedicated research agenda because private foundations are prominent, unique, and under-studied actors seeking to shape the future of a “frontier” space. We present a co-produced social science research agenda on marine conservation philanthropy that reflects the priorities of 106 marine conservation donors, practitioners, and stakeholders who participated in a research co-design process in 2018. These “research co-designers” raised 137 unique research questions, which we grouped into five thematic research priorities: outcomes, governance roles, exits, internal foundation governance, and funding landscape. We identify issues of legitimacy, justice, and applied best practice as cross-cutting research priorities that came up throughout the five themes. Participants from the NGO, foundation, and government sectors identified questions within all five themes and three cross-cutting issues, underscoring shared interest in this work from diverse groups. The research we call for herein can inform the practice of conservation philanthropy at a time when foundations are increasingly reckoning with their role as institutions of power in society. This paper is broadly relevant for social and natural scientists, practitioners, donors, and policy-makers interested in better understanding private philanthropy in any environmental context globally.

Perspectivas e práticas da aprendizagem organizacional no ambiente do trabalho em uma ONG

O objetivo deste artigo é identificar e compreender os processos formais em informais de aprendizagem organizacional dos colaboradores de uma ONG e suas práticas profissionais. A estratégia de pesquisa é qualitativa exploratória de natureza aplicada como técnicas de coleta de dados foi utilizado entrevista semiestruturada, observação não participante e pesquisa documental. Foram entrevistados 9 colaboradores de diferentes formações e setores da ONG. A aprendizado informal, se deu por meio de conversas, experiências em outros projetos, trocas de informação e experiências decorridas de trabalhos anteriores. Quanto aos formatos de aprendizagem formal, acontecem na forma de leitura, treinamentos, reuniões, palestras e projetos.

‘Staying in the Nationalist Bubble’

‘Staying in the Nationalist Bubble’

Understanding the Rationales of Donor-Funded NGOs in Palestine

This article uses game theory as a conceptual approach to gain a holistic understanding of the aid policy of donors supporting Palestinian nongovernmental organizations (PNGOs). It asks how the work of donor-funded PNGOs has impacted Palestinian societal common good in general, and who are the winners and losers as a result of their work. Quantitative methods are used to capture the perceptions of the main actors in relation to the societal outcomes of PNGOs’ work and actors’ political and socio-economic payoffs in the occupied West Bank. Most of the findings align with much of the critical research on the negative societal outcomes of the aid policy to the NGO sector, and corroborate that the Palestinian public is a major loser in political terms and the least beneficiary in socio-economic terms.

Assertiveness, Corporate Social Responsibility and Brand Association in Anti-globalization Era

This paper aims to look at the relationship among Assertiveness, a National value dimensions (NVD) component, CSR practices, and brand association in Bangladesh. Perceptions of the managers from different organizations of Bangladesh, an emerging economy, has been determined and recorded using a 7 point Likert scale. Purposive sampling has been used to select 113 respondents representing banking, the central bank, NGO, medical, academia, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and other service sectors. It is found that Bangladeshi managers are non-assertive implying the fact that the claim of Hofstede stating that Bangladesh is a masculine or, assertive society is invalid in this anti-globalization era (post-2008). The results of stepwise-regression prove that CSR to stakeholders, a dimension of overall CSR performance, is positively associated with brand association. Results also show that interaction between assertiveness and CSR to stakeholders have a negative and moderating effect on brand association in Bangladesh. If corporate CSR activities are taken in line with the findings of this article, the country will be able to build better resilience against natural and other disasters, a target under SDG 13. At the same time, it will help organizations to enhance their brand image; and more specifically, strengthen associations of consumers with the brand itself.

Look Upstream: Measurement for Innovation on the Upper Rio Negro of the Amazon Basin.

The growth of the randomized controlled trial (RCT) as the “gold standard” for evaluation has justly been praised as an advance in the professionalization of social programs and projects, an “adoption of science” - in the words of the Lancet. None the less, the emphasis on the RCT biases funding for projects that distribute private goods and which focus on “low hanging fruit” in health, nutrition, and sanitation, simply because those areas lend themselves to the sort of measurement that works with RCTs. As a result, many project developers in the government and NGO sectors lament that a hegemonic focus on RCTs impedes creativity or new models that challenge traditional paradigms. This case study of CanalCanoa, a community video coaching project for indigenous parents of young children in the Rio Negro region of the Amazon Basin, offers techniques to measure for innovation. Instead of developing a new RCT for an extremely diverse population (27 ethnic groups) where traditional childcare methods are in historical flux because of urbanization, CanalCanoa measured variables shown by previous RCTs to be causally connected with positive development results. By researching the impact of the intervention on nutrition, language (multilingualism, use of traditional songs and stories), and social network expansion, CanalCanoa measured upstream indicators, thus mixing scientific rigor with an opportunity for innovation and providing important insight and reform of a theory of change.

Assessment of Awareness, Prevalence and Treatment Trends of Thalassemia in NGO Sector, Sialkot, Pakistan

Thalassemias are the heterogeneous group of genetic disorders affecting hemoglobin production. Purpose: Objective of this study is to access the awareness level among the parents of thalassemia patients, prevalence and treatment trends of thalassemia in NGO sector, Sialkot, Pakistan. Method: Study design was chosen to be cross-sectional prospective. Sample size for this study was taken as 70 patients. Study was carried out in Sundas Foundation in Sialkot, Pakistan. Well-structured data collection form or questionnaire was prepared, analyzed and then filled by interview. Result: Parents of patients were aware of question of iron overload (n=62; %=88.5). Highest prevalence was seen in males (n=42; %=60) rather than females (n=28; %=40). Majority of patients were suffering from thalassemia major (n=60; %=85.7) and few were suffering from thalassemia intermedia (n=10; %=14.3). Hepatitis and iron overload are the two most common complications of thalassemia. Majority of patients (n=69; %=98.5) had iron overload as a complication of blood transfusion, rather than hepatitis (n=43; %=61). Most commonly prescribed iron chelator was deferasirox (n=59; %=84). For therapeutic management of thalassemia, majority of patients were receiving folic acid (n=70; %=100), vitamin-D (n=65; %=92.8), calcium (n=70; % =100), acetaminophen (n= 62; %=88.5) and hydroxyurea (n=12; %=17). From surgical procedures, splenectomy (n=10; %=14) and stem cell transplant (n=1; %=1.4) were used. Conclusion: Highest prevalence was seen in males rather than females

Mogućnosti razvoja inovacionog ambijenta u Srbiji

In this paper, the authors explore the conditions for the development of innovation in the Republic of Serbia. The paper analyzes the factors influencing the development of the innovation environment. The influences of state institutions, international institutions and programs as well as the influences of the NGO sector on the development of the innovation environment in Serbia are discussed. In order to valorize these efforts to develop the innovation environment in the right way, the authors also analyzed Germany, as the leading economy in supporting the innovation environment and building innovation infrastructure.

EX-POST EVALUATION DESIGN PROPOSAL FOR THE ROMANIAN YOUTH STRATEGY 2015-2020. AN ANALYSIS OF THE NGO SECTOR IMPACT ON THE RESULTS

Success or a lesson to learn? In this paper, I propose an evaluation design of the Romanian Youth Strategy 2015-2020 transformative effects, in which I argue for a participative evaluation process, promoting diversity, social justice, fairness and transparency. My focus is not only on the instruments for analyzing the objectives, results, resources and impact, but also on encouraging the development of the social values that are attached to this policy. The innovative elements of the suggested design are the introduction of the gender perspective and multiple discrimination and also the reflection on the influence of the NGO sector on the achieved results. It is expected this study to engage the evaluators and the readers interested in the youth issue in a debate for improving the process of assessing public policies and programmes.

Perspectives of Working Children on their Education and Life Goals: A Case Study

Despite several interventions from the public, private and NGO sectors, the sustainability of education for working children has always been a challenge in Pakistan. Setting life goals is the first step towards achieving them, and setting life goals itself is a life skill, not possessed by everyone. Children who possess this valuable skill tend to perform better in managing their careers, time, and life. A framework proposed by Cassandra Massey quite explicitly explains the various factors that working children need to consider and focus on while pursuing their life goals. It comprises eight attributes, including Self-care, Relationships, Money, Personal development, Home-life, Community, Passions, and Work-life. It is essential to know-how and to what extent these attributes affect the education and life goals of working children to understand their perspectives. The multiple case study research design was used in this study to illustrate the issue and getting similar and contrasting patterns from responses of the five cases. Findings from all five case studies that there exists a high determination and commitment towards education, and 4 out of 5 cases expressed there are high chances for them to be able to achieve their life goals. Based on findings various implications are discussed.

Lost at the waterfront? Explaining the absence of green organisations in the Don’t let Belgrade D(r)own movement

ABSTRACT The Don’t let Belgrade D(r)own, protest movement against the city’s controversial waterfront development, is one of the largest civil society campaigns in post-Milošević Serbia. Despite engaging an eclectic mix of activists, there has been no tangible participation by Belgrade’s well-established environmental NGOs (ENGOs). The absence of ENGOs is all the more surprising given the project’s well-documented threat to surface water, increased risk of flooding, and air pollution. The extant literature would suggest that EU enlargement, distancing of green organisations from domestic grassroots agendas as a consequence of external donor funding, and widespread NGO fatigue are to blame. In addition to these explanations, we contend that the limited participation of ENGOs was also due to ideological differences and initial framing of the activism by those who had emerged from, and become disenchanted with, the NGO sector.

Users’ Satisfaction with Domestic Water Supply in Nepal – A Study in Lekhnath Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project

Water Supply and Sanitation has been a priority of Government of Nepal. Various types of urban and rural water supply and sanitation projects are now being implemented within the Government, private and NGO sectors. The normal practice of measurement of satisfaction by service providers is to measure consumers’ satisfaction on past performance. The survey design could vary from survey questions to unstructured interviews and everything in between using comparative and non-comparative scales. In comparative scaling, the respondents are asked to compare one product against the other while non-comparative scaling is used to evaluate a single product. In this study, Likert Scales is used in this study for measurement of customer satisfaction on water supply. The higher level of satisfaction with water supply is expected to be positively related to several factors such as satisfaction with water quality, and other parameters such as hours and timings of water supply, tap pressure, quantity of water supplied, responsiveness and communication of management and water tariff. The respondents’ level of satisfaction indicates that about 41 percent of respondents were neutral, they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with water services, while about 36 percent of respondents were satisfied with water services. The satisfaction scale of overall satisfaction with water services was 3.29 while 1.0 indicates strongly not satisfied while 5.0 indicate strongly satisfied. The various aspects that influence satisfaction among users which include hours and timings of water supply, tap pressure, quantity of water supplied, responsiveness and communication of management and water tariff as well as redresses of customer complaints have been examined. This study focused on the users’ satisfaction of Lekhnath small town water supply and sanitation project and the study was undertaken to analyze the current users’ satisfaction of the Lekhnath small town water supply and sanitation project. The result showed that the satisfaction level of users’ is above neutral but these were not in satisfying level. The characteristics/aspects of the service that contributed to users’ satisfaction including hours and timing, pressure, quantity and quality of water while there was slightly less satisfaction with regard to complaints about water supply.

Palestinian NGO Sector: Development & Major Characteristics

This article examines the situation of Palestinian NGOs before 2012 through a review over the NGO sector and their regulation, governance and relationship to various stakeholders that the sector is expected to be accountable for. This article sheds light on Palestinian organizations to classify the sector's vulnerability. It also sheds some light on the multiple factors behind the contentious relationship between NGOs and public authorities on the one hand, and between NGOs and the general public on the other hand. The article uses a combination of a quantitative and qualitative methodology and mixed data collection methods from primary and secondary sources for the purposes of clarifying the governance situation of NGOs. The controversy surrounding Palestinian NGOs are because of their motivation, agendas and sources of funds. One of the factors that increases the suspicion is the fact that its board of directors and its director intrude from the Palestinian public and withhold information from them. In the period referred to, the Palestinian Authority closes organizations that support Islamic view and liquidates their resources, while tens of new PA supporter’s organizations have created, receives financial support from the PA., and others emerged that were established for personal purposes, maintaining a relationship with the current of power, and the legal framework and governance framework for NGOs remained left on the shelf and used for opponents/ one major finding is that the NGOs sector is able to serve the and helps in fulfulling public needs and strategic national interests if they choose to despite the changes in the national political situations and the pressures imposed from the authorities and donors. The study contributes positively to the understanding of NGOs as a sector. Its clafry the challanages and the weaknesses of the NGO sector and call for more foucs on seving public needs.

Ethical Behaviour and Compliance with Donor Reporting Requirements by Non-Governmental Organisations in Uganda: A Proposition

This study seeks to respond to the question of dwindling donor generosity in the face of the UN sponsored sustainable development goals and Uganda’s Vision 2040. Recently, most donors who support poverty alleviating efforts through the medium of Non-Governmental Organisations, have been scaling down on some of their commitments. This seems to persist even as the need for humanitarian and development aid is increasing due to neighborhood immigrations and the resulting resource competitions. Ideally, donor step back should be undesirable at this time, and any cause for the same should be established and checked. Scholars suggest managerial incentives could be at play. This study is set out to examine the relationship that exists between ethical behaviour and NGO compliance with donor reporting requirements in Uganda. The study objectives will identify the various donor reporting requirements and investigate some ethical behaviour that impede NGOs’ compliance with the donors’ reporting requirements. To address the question of why donor fatigue at such a time of need, the researchers propose to engage with donor agencies, national NGO regulators and NGO senior management teams, for their input into the response. The stakeholder views obtained will be available for integration into the national regulatory framework to rejuvenate donor trust and socio-economic participation of the NGO sector in Uganda. Keywords: ethical behaviour, compliance, donor reporting requirements, NGOs, Uganda DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/11-22-07 Publication date: November 30 th 2020