A Critical Examination of the State versus Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the Policy Sphere in the Global South: Will the State Die as the NGOs Thrive in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia?

Abstract

This paper examines the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in service provision with a special focus on SubSaharan Africa and Asia. First, it reviews the conceptual and taxonomic issues in NGOs. It then proceeds to examine the performance of NGOs in some countries. The paper notes the increased relevance of NGOs in many countries. It, however, argues that any expectation that the NGOs will supplant the state in service provision is likely to be utopian. It contends that just as we have government failure and market failure, we can also have third sector failure. The paper argues for an appropriate balance between the state and African and Asian Studies, volume 4, no. 3 also available online

Collaboration between non-governmental organizations and public services in health – a qualitative case study from rural Ecuador

“…To overcome these trust issues, and to enhance teamwork and communication, participants emphasized the need for collaboration between Ecuadorian and foreign doctors. Both parties would benefit from mutual involvement, through skill and knowledge sharing, which has similarly been described in the literature (11, 35). …”

“…The actual number of NGOs that are active in the health sectors of LMICs is poorly documented, which may lead to a lack of recognition of their role at national and global levels (10). NGOs are often dependent on donors for financial support, arguably reducing their ability to articulate independent development approaches and skewing accountability to the donor, at the expense of the beneficiaries (6, 7, 11). The limitations of NGOs are most apparent in the resource constraints they face.…”

“…These constraints can lead to inadequate service delivery through a lack of technical expertise in their staff, and poor resource mobilization (9). Therefore, in the design and implementation of NGO services, attention needs to be paid to sustainability (11). …”

Introduction: the Political Consequences of Non-state Social Welfare in the Global South

“…Furthermore, debates about the role of NGOs in development and social welfare provision focus most extensively on the implications for state capacity rather than other potential political consequences. Detractors claim that the provision of services by non-state actors can undermine the capacity of the state by hindering the development of internal information gathering and revenue generation abilities (Khan 1999;Obiyan 2005). NGO control over public services may also create a "franchise state" which relies on private subcontractors to meet citizen welfare needs, further deterring or undermining state capacity to supply public goods and social services (Wood 1997).…”

African NGOs: The New Compradors?

“…Thus funds from NGOs and Western donors have induced the proliferation of harambee groups’. Sat Obiyan (2005: 305) also notes that ‘access of GROs to donor funds is making the distinction between NGOs and GROs increasingly blurred’. As Northern funding to African civil society widens, it will be interesting to see if informal, kin‐ or ethnic‐based groups, that are currently understood as ‘pre‐modern’ and ‘illiberal’ and therefore shunned, will also be drawn into the donor‐African NGO nexus (Lavali, 2005; Young, 1995).…”