Third Sector Governance in Asia: Tracing Hybridity

Abstract

Starting with the premise that modern western notions of good governance may be misdirected within a context of traditional Asian civil societies, this article investigates third sector governance practices in Southeast Asia. Case studies from different data sources are presented to suggest that there is no one ideal form of governance or accountability in Southeast Asian third sector organisations. Applying a western lens can serve to deflect attention away from the ways in which contextual factors affect the thinking and practices of accountability of local actors. The paper concludes that a process of hybridisation in governance models is taking place in Southeast Asian societies.

Tracing Hybridity in the Provision of ICT-Enabled Agricultural Weather Information Services in Ghana

“…Our study's findings on hybrid organizations are unique in that they reveal the particular roles that ICTs can play in the formation of organic, entrenched, shallow and enacted hybrid organizations (Billis, 2010). In the case of GMet, the process of hybridization was organic in line with the profound changes in the use of social media and web portals and the partnerships GMet entered into with other organizations to deliver WIS (Billis, 2010;Onyx et al, 2018). Agri-preneurs, for example, were regarded as social enterprises because they assumed roles of both government organizations (agricultural extension agents and GMet) and business organizations (in providing WIS to farmers in exchange for payment).…”

“…The civil society sector is made up of organizations operating with altruistic motives. These organizations draw their human resources from volunteerism, and derive their financial resources from dues, subscriptions, donations, and legacies (Onyx et al, 2018). Examples of the civil society organizations identified in this study are non-governmental organizations (NGOs), knowledge institutions, farmer-based organizations, farmer/farming communities, and volunteer groups.…”

Working together to reduce energy poverty in Timor-Leste with environmentally sustainable community-based economic development: A transnational developmental social work approach

“…First, this approach encourages sustainable solar lighting projects to recognise the value of developmental social work practices to the success of such endeavours. Social development practices that the participants articulate as critical to the success of the Lampu Diak project include • • local governance and community ownership in which decision-making rests with those most affected by the outcomes of decisions; • • encouraging personal empowerment and control by community members over their own lives; • • the ongoing development of local structures and processes by which groups can meet their own needs (Kenny, 2017;Onyx et al, 2018).…”