LECTURE 01
DS-3524: The Third Sector: Civil Society and
NGOs
Nuruzzaman
Lecturer
Department of Development Studies
Bangladesh University of
Professionals
Lecture:1
NGOs - definition, diversity, activities,
typology etc.
Contents
• Definitions, categories and terminologies
• The diversity of NGOs
• The variety of NGOs values, approaches and activities
• What do NGOs do?
• Typology of NGOs
• NGOs in development: an introduction
• Scope of NGO Operation
• Critics of NGOs in development: an introduction
Introduction
• NGOs – local, national, international level
• International campaign – “Make Poverty History”
• A specific subset of “Third sector”??
Defining NGOs
• Difficult
• An NGO is normally characterized in the literature as an
independent organization that is neither run by
government nor driven by the profit motive like private
sector businesses.
• BUT??????
Operation definition by Salamon &
Anheier (1992)
Five key characteristics of NGOs
1.Formal
2.Private
3.Non-profit distributing
4.Self-governing
5.Voluntary (omitted?)
Some other definitions
• All non-state organizations, whether they are businesses or third
sector, can be seen as forms of NGO (UK Public law)
• ‘NGOs are groups of individuals organized for the myriad of reasons
that engage human imagination and aspiration’(Charnovitz 1997)
• NGOs are organizations concerned with the promotion of social,
political or economic change – an agenda that is usually associated
with the concept of ‘development’
Different terminologies
• UK – private voluntary organization / charity (“relief
and development”)
• USA - non-profit organization
• In international and/or developing country context –
NGOs – by UN
i. GONGO i. NNGO
ii. QUANGO ii. SNGO
iii. DONGO
iv. INGO
Three major terms
NGOs
PVOs
NPOs
Diversity of NGO
acronyms
Diversity of NGOs: Structure
• Number???
• One million? Or a few hundred thousands??
About 35,000 large established NGOs (UN)
Types:
• Formal or informal
• Large or small
• Bureaucratic or flexible
• Externally funded or internal resource mobilization based
• With high professionals or with volunteers and supporters
• Secular NGOs or faith based NGOs
• Operational and/or advocacy NGOs
What do NGOs do?
Two Main forms of activity:
1.Delivery of basic services
2.Advocacy and campaigns for change
OR,
Three major roles as :
1. Implementers
2. catalysts and
3. partners
Specialized roles???
Continue..
Specialized roles/activities:
1. emergency response,
2. democracy building,
3. conflict resolution,
4. human rights work,
5. cultural preservation,
6. environmental activism,
7. policy analysis,
8. research and
9. information provision
More specifically..
Community Health Promotion and Education
o General Hygiene
o Waste Disposal
o Water Usage
o Vaccinations
o Youth Counseling Services
Emerging health crises
o HIV/AIDS education and support
o Hepatitis B education
o Drug Addiction recovery
Community Social Problems
oJuvenile crimes
oStreet Children
oProstitution
Environmental
o Sustainable water and energy consumption education
o Keeping forests clean
Economic
o Microenterprises and Micro-loans
o Skill training (Computers, technician training, Catering services, clothing and
textile, etc.)
o Cooperative creation
o Financial consulting
Development
o School construction
o Infrastructure construction
o Cultural center construction and operation
o Agriculture and Aquaculture expert assistance
Women’s Issues
o Women and Children’s Rights
o Battered women assistance center
o Group therapy for sexually abused women
o Counseling hotlines (telephone-based counseling services for
women)
o Legal assistance to women
o Literacy drives
What do NGOs bring to development?
Grassroot development
Bottom – up approach
Participatory development
“Comparative advantage” over government and
public sector ??? What advantages??
Neoliberalism- SAPs->Failure->Good governance-role of all
the three sectors-NGOs as part of civil society
Critiques of NGOs: an introduction
✔ NGOs undermine the centrality of state
✔ more privatized forms of development intervention
✔ Accountability problem of NGOs
✔ Impose their own agendas and become self-interested
actors at the expense of the people
✔ Lack of coordination leading to duplication of effort
✔ Limited understanding of local circumstances among
international NGOs
Suggested Readings
• Lewis, D. and Kanji, N. (2009). Non-governmental Organizations and Development. London &
New York: Routledge. (Chapter 1)
• Vakil, A.C. (1997). Confronting the Classification Problem: Toward a Taxonomy of NGOs. World
Developemnt, 25(12), 2057-2070.
• Nongovernmental Organizations, Definition and History by DAVID LEWIS, London School of
Economics and Political Science.
• An Introduction to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Management. Compiled by Ali
Mostashari
Any Question
Please?
THANK
YOU
