Non-governmental Development Organizations Research Articles

Learning communities and co-creative tourism practices in NGDO projects

In this study, we considered tourism collaboration for sustainable development as a co-creative practice of learning about tourism in order to achieve benefits for local communities. We focused on projects run by non-governmental development organisations (NGDOs) and the challenges relating to their long-term impact. These challenges concern the projects’ potential to facilitate the emergence and/or reinforcement of local learning communities. The study was conducted by an academic and a representative of the NGDO that constituted the empirical case. The empirical investigation was based on a variety of data sources and explored both the NGDO’s strategic approach to collaboration and the experience gained from two projects. We identified factors that can be crucially important for the promotion of collaboration driven by local actors and extending beyond the limited time horizon of the NGDOs’ projects. The paper contributes to the literature by adopting the concepts of co-creative practices and communities of practice (CoPs) to study collaboration, elucidating the evolving linkages connecting CoP constellations in learning communities. The study also presents some reflections on collaborative research with non-academics as a useful way of promoting plurality, depth and reflexivity.

South African Non-Governmental Development Organisations (NGDOs) - organising and coordinating for ‘Development Effectiveness’? A Case Study of KwaZulu-Natal Province

South African Non-Governmental Development Organisations (NGDOs) - organising and coordinating for ‘Development Effectiveness’? A Case Study of KwaZulu-Natal Province

Government-Funded Sustainable Development and Professionalisation of NGOs

This paper addresses the first financial initiative of the Slovenian government for the professionalisation and development of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to promote sustainability in the third sector. The measure was the result of the Non-Governmental Organisations Act, adopted in 2018, and was followed by the Development strategy of non-governmental organisations and volunteering until 2023 (DSNGOV). The state’s contribution to an increased level of professionalisation was welcomed by NGOs because, compared to other EU28 states, which have an average employment rate of 4.18%, Slovenia is far behind, with only 0.82% of its active working population being employed in the NGO sector. In May 2018, the Ministry of Public Administration released invitations to fund projects for the development and professionalisation of NGOs and voluntary service, providing grants for 100 NGO jobs. The final project results were compiled in March 2020, and the findings were evaluated in 29 survey reports in April 2020. The research focused on the occupations for which employees were sought, legal forms of the applicant NGOs and recruitment methods. The results demonstrate that the state measure was successful, as 69% of the funded jobs were sustained. However, most of the retained jobs were filled by those who were previously employed in the NGO sector (84.6%), so the employment rate has barely risen.

Selective norm promotion in international development assistance: the drivers of naming and shaming advocacy among European non-governmental development organisations

European non-governmental development organisations (NGDOs) have used naming and shaming extensively in their advocacy to push the EU and member state governments to implement international norms on foreign aid. The paper analyses the contents of NGDO advocacy publications, with the goal of gaining insight into how and why these organisations engage in naming and shaming. The exercise reveals that NGDOs are highly selective in the norms they promote through naming and shaming: they shame governments heavily for not implementing norms on aid quantity, but are less vocal on norms related to aid effectiveness. The paper shows that NGDOs strategically select norms in their naming shaming activities which have higher resonance with the public and are less costly to monitor, criteria which aid quantity norms fulfil. There is also some evidence that NGDOs promote increasing the quantity of aid because it would enhance their own access to donor funding.

Challenges of Faith-Based NGO Intervention in Community Development: a Case Study in Bangladesh

The intervention of faith-based non-governmental organizations in the development area is no more an ignored topic due to their comprehensive coverage in humanitarian assistance, rise of global identity politics, and the changing ideological view of development donors and policymakers. However, such engagements are prone to criticisms. This paper aims to report the qualitative findings highlighting the strengths and challenges of faith-based non-governmental organizations in community development, based on a broader convergent parallel mixed-method study of the first author’s PhD work. The study was conducted in the north-western region of Bangladesh, where Islamic Relief Worldwide, a faith-based international non-governmental organization implemented the Action for Peoples’ Rights and Livelihood (APRIL) project for community development. Using a qualitative approach, this study gathered data from in-depth interviews of 11 participants, five focus groups, and 10 key informants. Results showed that faith-based non-governmental organizations made significant contributions in providing services to the ultra-poor without discrimination, offering flexible “pressure-free” loans, and developing a sense of community ownership. Within this spectrum, this study found a number of challenges in the community development efforts. These include (a) continuation of the provision of interest-free loans, (b) sustaining community-based organizations, (c) labeling of proselytization, and (d) deficient implementation mechanisms. Although this paper focuses on a faith-based non-governmental organization in Bangladesh, the findings have global implications, especially addressing the knowledge gap in the existing literature.

Influence of online transparency on efficiency. Analysis of spanish NGDOs

This study examines (a) whether nongovernmental development organizations (NGDOs) disseminate relevant information for their stakeholders through their web pages, information that after being reviewed and evaluated by external organizations such as the Spanish Coordinator of Development NGO or Lealtad Foundation, allowed these NGDOs to obtain a seal of transparency and (b) whether their level of transparency influences efficiency. To determine online transparency, web pages of seal-approved NGDOs were reviewed to assess the availability of relevant information. This paper uses data envelopment analysis to assess the efficiency using an input orientation. To determine the influence of online transparency on efficiency, an ordinary least squares regression was used. Results show that while increased transparency has a significant effect on efficiency, the level of information disclosure of NGDOs through their web pages has considerable room for improvement. Improved transparency leads to best practices and increased competition in obtaining financing and support from society. To improve transparency in the nonprofit sector, external organizations have created a series of seals to certify that an organization complies with the basic principles of transparency. In addition, new technologies make it easier for organizations to disseminate information quickly and economically. This article contributes to the literature regarding web use of NGDOs to disclose relevant information and analyzing the influence of online transparency on organizational efficiency.

"Now, I am Empowered. Now, I am a Woman With Spirit": Evaluating CARE's Public Health Work Through a Community-Organizing Framework in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Community-based interventions are crucial to reducing health-care disparities throughout the world. CARE, an international development nongovernmental organization (NGO), is a global leader in using a community-based approach in public health. This qualitative study sought to understand the processes through which community organizing functions to effectively facilitate change and improve health among underserved populations in three programs in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Sixteen in-depth interviews and two focus groups were conducted with NGO staff, partner organization staff, and community change agents. Programs are assessed through Ganz's community-organizing model, which includes (a) leadership development, (b) storytelling strategies, and (c) team building. Our findings confirm existing literature showing that public health approaches can be augmented by using community organizing to develop local engagement. Results show that program success relates to developing community members' understanding of social inequality and its impact on society. Other important strategies include systems strengthening, political engagement, coalition building, and government outreach. Empowered communities were created through recruiting, activating, and investing in community members, their stories, and their collaborative potential, at least in the sites studied here. Collectively, these programs have begun to create empowered communities among some of the most marginalized people in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Igualdad de género en las ONG para el desarrollo de Gipuzkoa: mito o realidad

Las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales para el Desarrollo (ONGD) plantean a nuestra sociedad debates éticos, sociales, políticos y económicos que actúan a modo de espejo en el que se reflejan nuestras contradicciones y problemas. A su vez son organizaciones compuestas por mujeres y hombres que viven en sociedades concretas, con modelos culturales construidos y transmitidos de manera eficaz, muchas veces invisibles, que nos marcan profundamente estereotipos y sesgos, entre ellos los de género, que, si no sabemos ver y enfrentar, es muy difícil que consigamos revertir. Planteamos el estudio de ONGD guipuzcoanas en tres bloques de análisis: en sus planteamientos ideológicos, en su estructura y en su cultura organizativa para tratar de descubrir una posible brecha entre el discurso teórico sobre la igualdad y la realidad practicada. El objetivo es determinar si existe una diferencia entre el discurso aprendido y la igualdad real en sus propias organizaciones y acciones. Analizamos, dentro de una aproximación teórica, el papel de las mujeres en la cooperación al desarrollo, de los marcos normativos y teórico en los que viven y desarrollan su trabajo estas ONGD guipuzcoanas, los principales mitos y sesgos que se manifiestan en estas organizaciones y que pudieran ser responsables de un discurso aprendido en temas relacionados con la igualdad.Non-Governmental Development Organisations (NGDO) raise ethical, social, political and economic issues for debate which serve to highlight our society’s problems and contradictions. At the same time they are organisations comprised of men and women who live in real societies whose well-established cultural models, transmitted efficiently and often invisibly, strongly influence stereotypes and perception, among which is that of gender, which are difficult to change unless we learn to recognise and confront them. The study of NGDOs in Gipuzkoa focuses analysis on three aspects: their ideological positions, their structure and their organisational culture in an attempt to discover a possible gap that exists between theoretical discourse about equality and the practical reality. Our objective is to determine whether there exists a dif­ference between learned discourse and real equality in their own organisations and actions. We analyse, from a theoretical perspective, the role of women in Development Cooperation and the normative and theoretical frameworks that govern the work carried out by these NGDOs in Gipuzkoa as well as the principal myths that are used in organisations, which could be responsible for the learned discourse in subjects relating to equality

Seeing Through the Logical Framework

In this study, we examine the key management and scientific traditions that inform the logical framework, a project planning and evaluation tool that is central to how many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) manage their projects and provide accounts to funders. Through an analysis of USAID reports from the 1960s and 1970s, interviews with the logical framework’s developers, and a close reading of seminal texts, we identify how systems theory, management by objectives, and scientific theory informed how USAID problematized its project planning and evaluation practices and how they came to be inscribed into the logical framework as a way to address such perceived problems. We argue that these traditions are important for understanding a particular strand of managerialization that informs international development NGOs, and, more generally, for understanding how funding agencies “see” through the logical framework.

Microfranchising to Alleviate Poverty: An Innovation Network Perspective

In 2015, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals set an ethical imperative: end extreme poverty and hunger by 2030. Microfranchising can contribute to this critical effort by offering nonprofit organizations and businesses an opportunity to rapidly scale entrepreneurship within Base of the Pyramid (BOP) markets. However, while abundant literature exists on traditional franchising, we know little about how to leverage microfranchising in resource-scarce contexts to alleviate poverty. To address this gap, we report a longitudinal case study of a microfranchise network aimed at providing timely access to quality, affordable agricultural input, and services for millions of small-scale farmers in Bangladesh. Anchored in the BOP and microfranchise literature and drawing on innovation theory as an analytical lens, we provide a detailed account of how CARE—a global humanitarian and development non-governmental organization—developed and managed the network. We found that context played a strong role and that adaptability therefore was key to successfully recruiting and engaging BOP entrepreneurs and other business partners in the network. Moreover, as members joined the network with past ties and established practices, managing these path dependencies had important implications for network performance. Network sustainability in terms of financial and social impact was also a key theme that required careful consideration throughout network development. We combine these empirical findings with extant literature to discuss contributions to the theory and practice of microfranchising and innovation networking in the BOP context.

Non-governmental Development Organizations in Spain: Their Contributions and Relationships in the Realm of Immigration

The design of the welfare state in Spain and the practice of outsourcing the management of social protection services for immigrants and development cooperation programs have had a structuring effect on the Spanish third sector over the last two decades. As non-governmental development organizations (NGDOs) have taken on a new role and new actors like immigrants’ associations have appeared on stage, a spotlight has been thrown on NGDOs’ operational capacity both inside and outside our borders. The objective of this article, which is based on the findings of quantitative research conducted in Spain, is to present and analyze the main factors affecting NGDOs’ internal, external, and relational governance, to assess the extent of their connection to the realm of immigration and its actors, their role in migration matters, and the opportunities for maximizing the scope of third-sector organizations’ actions.

How do Andalusian NGDOs Address Sexual and Female Reproductive Rights? Centrality, Approaches and Located Practices.

Currently we see that the approach to female sexual and reproductive rights in the field of development cooperation is experiencing a double tension: on the one hand, cooperation agents, especially Non-Governmental Development Organizations (NGDOs) have prioritized their attention over this theme, in the measure in which efforts have been redoubled to prevent, reduce and eradicate the effects of gender inequalities in different areas. On the other hand, there is a clear setback in the exercise and enjoyment of these types of rights worldwide. A possible explanatory hypothesis for this tension is that the different ways of conceptualizing female Sexual and Reproductive Rights condition the situated practices of organizations insofar as they significantly affect their reason for being and their organizational nature. That is why the objective of this work is to investigate how female sexual and reproductive rights are configured and condition the reason for being, the nature and the situated practice of NGDOs. For this, a case study is carried out, the object of which was the development cooperation system in Andalusia. A combination of quantitative - qualitative methodologies was used, although in this work we are going to prioritize the results derived from the structural and dialectical techniques as they are especially significant. This work shows that Andalusian NGDOs move between a tension marked by a proactive interest in this type of rights and a structural deficit of competences to be able to manage them effectively.

The Role of the Non-Governmental Organizations in Early Childhood Development in Egypt: A Case Study of Educate Me Foundation in Giza Governorate

The Role of the Non-Governmental Organizations in Early Childhood Development in Egypt: A Case Study of Educate Me Foundation in Giza Governorate

Addressing Geospatial Preparedness Inequity: A Sustainable Bottom-up approach for Non-Governmental Development Organizations

Keywords: geospatial preparedness; OpenStreetMap; NGO; information management; development; sustainable;

Gender-Related Challenges in Educational Interventions with Syrian Refugee Parents of Trauma-Affected Children in Turkey.

Since 2012, more than three million Syrian refugees have fled to Turkey. While these refugees vary in socioeconomic background, it is notable that 50% of Syrian refugee children in Turkey display symptoms of post-traumatic stress and that more than 663,138 of these children between the ages of six and seventeen are not enrolled in school. For those children who are in school, high levels of trauma have significant implications for the education system as trauma alters the brain and affects the way children learn. A Global Voice for Autism is an international non-governmental relief and development organization that exists to equip teachers and families in conflict-affected communities. Its intent is to support the development and success of children with autism and trauma-related behavioral challenges in their classrooms, home, and communities. The instabilities inherent in the Syrian refugee experience pose a number of challenges to the organization’s effective implementation of programming. The experiences of refugees in Turkey are highly gendered. Therefore, a qualitative gender analysis was conducted to address and better understand the challenges faced when carrying out these educational interventions. The article examines domestic violence, sexual violence, and masculinity as gender-driven constructs that influence how refugees experience trauma. In addition, structural issues in existing support systems all present significant challenges to Syrian refugee parents that impede effective program implementation. It is imperative to assess structural issues in existing support services to address these challenges and to successfully carry out meaningful and impactful programming. This Brief Report provides a series of recommendations in order to ameliorate these challenges and increase the efficacy of educational interventions with Syrian refugee parents of trauma-affected and vulnerable children in Turkey. It concludes with a call for policy changes that protect refugees from deportation when accessing support services and a network of services that do not require residency permits. It calls for increased integration of parent trauma support in educational intervention trainings and the creation of safe spaces where mothers and fathers can discuss their own trauma and challenges in the hope of significantly enhancing program efficacy.

The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Community Economic Development: Using a System Dynamic Approach

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are essential institutional players in mobilizing regional economic growth and development, community growth and development, motivating people, and implementing social welfare program(s) to support government effort(s) at the grassroots level. This paper explores the impact of NGOs on rural community development while referencing the case study of the community of Lugbe, in the city Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigeria. This paper utilizes the NGO-Donation-system dynamics model ( , to explore, visualize, and analyze the following dilemmas of NGOs donations responsiveness to Nigeria's per capita income, returns on foreign capital, and the returns on local capital. It analyzes two sensitivity scenarios from the base (see Figure 1). The findings show how NGOs activities result in fostering economic growth and development in the community. Our results show that if Local Returns on Capital ( are greater than Foreign Returns on Capital ( , there will be a higher inflow of Foreign Direct Investment ( into the nation and vice versa. Hence, if the later statement holds to be true, the cost-effectiveness for individuals and businesses to donate or invest in the country will decrease (see Figure 3). But, if the former statement is true, there will be zero donations into NGOs as long as individual per capita income is below the Income Threshold to Donate ( and companies make zero economic profits in their businesses. The is between $0 - $ 13,000. But, when the individual per capita income or a business net economic profit is between $ 14,000 - $ 80,000, which is above , donations and investments will increase until the point when it peaks and starts to decrease (see Figure 4). Further result(s) show that the involvement of NGOs in societies where citizens are underserved by the financial, educational, entrepreneurial, political, and health industries have a normal distribution relationship shaped curve for the labor force per capita income threshold, an inverse relationship on returns on and a positive returns on . The participation of NGOs in communities, ceteris paribus , has had a significant positive effect on the Nigerian economy, but the research does not overlook mistakes made by these NGOs in trying to solve wicked problems in an economy. Keywords: community, development, NGOs, Local Returns on Capital ( , Foreign Returns on Capital ( , Foreign, Direct Investment ( , and Income threshold to donate ( ). DOI : 10.7176/JESD/10-20-01 Publication date :October 31 st 2019

History of NGDO volunteer tourism in Spain: depoliticisation, commodification, and downturn

ABSTRACTThis article analyses the historical evolution of volunteer tourism organised by non-governmental development organisations (NGDO) in Spain since they appeared in the 1980s as an instrument to support revolutionary processes and resistance in developing countries, mostly in the southern hemisphere. After subsequent depoliticisation, volunteer tourism sparked the interest of the business sector and conservative organisations. One of the most controversial consequences of this process was the desire to regulate volunteer tourism with a certification. This paper addresses how this process has paralleled the institutionalisation of development cooperation and the adaptation of NGDOs to this new context. Finally, the paper addresses the decline of this type of tourism because of the economic, political and social downturn which began in 2008.

The impact of public funding on the different types of private contributions

AbstractWe analyze the effect of public funding on private contributions to 67 nongovernmental development organizations (NGDOs) in Spain from 2006 to 2011. Previous literature gives theoretical explanations for both the crowding‐in and the crowding‐out effects, while the empirical evidence presents different realities. In this study, we find a partial crowding‐out effect (€1.00 of public funding reduces private contributions by €0.43) by using generalized method of moments estimators. However, this overall effect does not hold when analyzing the influence that different sources of public funds have on each type of private contribution.

Market Orientation in NGDOs: Construction of a Scale Focused on Their Stakeholders

Nongovernmental development organizations (NGDOs) have traditionally enjoyed notable recognition and visibility within the field of nonprofit organizations. However, the situation of this sector is problematic in its need to respond to various threats whether programmatic, financial, or of social legitimacy. This study poses as a hypothesis that market orientation, as a management philosophy which many NGDOs could adopt, may be fundamental for them to deal successfully with the challenges they face. An analysis of the literature on market orientation in the nonprofit sector showed that the existing models of market orientation did not adequately capture NGDOs’ real working context, thus recommending a broader market approach based on proposals oriented to the stakeholder and to social aspects. For this reason, the objective of the study was to create a scale of market orientation adapted to the reality of the work of NGDOs. Analysis of a sample of 104 Spanish entities allowed an eight-factor market orientation scale for NGDOs to be created and validated, which reached optimal values of reliability and validity.

The Use of Social Digital Networks by NGDO from a Social Marketing Perspective

The social marketing paradigm has been changing due to the use of digital social networks. This causes Non-Governmental Development Organizations’ efforts to focus on achieving a greater reaction from the public in these communication channels. We propose that the way forward is to analyze aspects of messages that give rise to a greater response from the audience. In this regard, we have analyzed 3608 Facebook and Twitter publications with the combination of content analysis and correlation analysis. We have considered three aspects: purpose, theme, and quality of the message. We have also listed a breakdown of quality and purpose parameters in order to become more fully acquainted with these aspects. The objectives of this research are firstly to carry out the communication profiles of the NGDOs studied from the points of view of the organizations and the public. Secondly, to analyze the reaction from the public (interactions) measured by the sum of likes plus the number of shares for each post, on Facebook and Twitter, according the parameters considered. The results showed that the most published messages from the organizations do not usually coincide with those that have the most impact on the public. Another proven aspect is that Twitter posts about behavior have more effectiveness than informative messages. Likewise, quality aspects, such as hashtags, mentions, or links, are not succeeding in generating public reaction.