alsulaiti
May 13, 2015
Writing Feedback / English paper about NGOs - Nongovernmental Organizations [2]
Nongovernmental organizations or NGOs are one of the most important components of international relations today in politics, economics, and human interaction. With improvements in global transportation and communication, globalization has become a paramount force in accelerating change and giving greater power to non-state actors such as NGOs in the international realm. These institutions have also changed over the past few decades as we enter an increasingly globalized world, a topic of discussion among scholars. However many in the general public are familiar with the idea of an NGO but don't know exactly what it is. What role are they playing exactly in the relationship between the developed and developing world? NGOs are institutions devoted to specific problems in international relations, that bridge gaps between civil society and state governments to find solutions and promote greater cooperation between different sectors of human society in the modern world.
A working definition of a NGOs is that they are non-profit organizations based on addressing a wide variety of global and local issues (Claiborne, 2011). They primarily have humanitarian objectives promoting cooperation as opposed to having any commercial goals according to the United Nations (UN). NGOs can be dedicated to things like promoting science, addressing human rights, seeking world peace, advancing environmental sustainability, working with sports fans, to even possibly having business associations seeking profits as opposed to strictly being non-for-profit (Suri, 2005; Claiborne, 2011).
NGOs are not associated directly with any nation-state. Instead, NGOs are private organizations with its members not made up of government officials but rather private citizens (Suri, 2005; Claiborne, 2011). Because of this, they represent the interests of civil society and not of any state government (Suri, 2005; Claiborne, 2011). They can work with people from multiple nations, and are not under the direct authority of any government (Claiborne, 2011). NGOs are distinguished from inter-governmental organizations that will have members of multiple states promoting shared ideas of world leaders (Suri, 2005). NGOs often cooperate with state governments to achieve their goals (Claiborne, 2011). They can also be in opposition to governmental policies of any nation or nations (Suri, 2005).
The organizations can be classified by their operational scope and structure. There are international organizations such as Greenpeace, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and the Salvation Army (Claiborne, 2011). They operate in multiple countries, can be well funded and have projects specific to a local and national level. There are national organizations like The Boy Scouts of America and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (Claiborne, 2011). They can operate in a single country or sometimes a just a city or region within a country. There are also local community-based organizations (Claiborne, 2011).
Origins of NGOs as well as other non-state actors (NSAs) come from ancient times of globalization movements (Suri, 2005). Christianity itself can be seen as a highly influential, idealistic movement that was centrally organized (Suri, 2005). The Knights Templar organized and worked with the church to give European pilgrims to the Holy Land protection in their travels and even had a banking system independent of any government but worked across different nations (Scott et al., 2014). After the French Revolution there was an expansion of NGOs/NSAs as nation-states formed (Suri, 2005). NGOs expanded greatly since the 19th century. From 1880-1914, breakthroughs stemming from the industrial revolution with breakthroughs in transportation and communication technology connected the world as globalization became to be an important part of human society (Suri, 2005). This allowed for disseminating information among people across long distances, to allow for ideas to be exchanged and coordinate efforts of early NGOs (Suri, 2005). From 1914-1940s, despite two world wars and the Great Depression, technology continued to improve and actually wartime governmental organizing inspired more NGOs to develop (Suri, 2005). After the World War II, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union would give rise to an important place in world politics for NGOs, as groups that are working with the UN after the Second World War, and further development as transportation and communication technology made leaps. The number of NGOs multiplied exponentially during this period (Suri, 2005). From the 1960s, NGOs began making substantive changes in international relations as the silent war between the superpowers led to dissatisfaction with state institutions, NGOs provided alternative means to achieve goals such as modernization, development, and fighting for human rights (Suri, 2005). Over the last couple decades, NGOs continue to proliferate facilitated by globalization. In developing countries, NGOs have taken up roles in such countries to provide a voice for civil society due to local political governments not being able to effectively adapt to new global social changes or effectively address ongoing social problems (Clarke, 1998).
NGOs can be organized as multi-lateral partnerships, as seen with the some that are associated with the UN. Multilateral partnerships are the cooperation between two or more nation-states or actors, that can be other NGOs, professional organizations, and international organization (Claiborne, 2011). NGOs can be organized around a specific profession (Claiborne, 2011). Many examples are of groups that are dedicated to social welfare, social work that can work at an international or local level (Claiborne, 2011). NGOs do a number of things to fulfill their goals. Some are involved in political policy analysis, provide economic backing for grassroots movements, direct services in specific fields like medical care or schooling, planning development within a community, and make links to multilateral institutions (Claiborne, 2011). Community development can include developing a local industry, improving schooling, help give a community socio-economic sustainability, and/or fight for social justice (Claiborne, 2011). Social inequality is one problem that exists internationally to different extents where women, children or different ethnic groups are not treated equally in a society (Claiborne, 2011).
There are four models of NGOs in terms of their orientation (Claiborne, 2011). Charitable NGOs offer goods and services in response to needs of a society such as poverty or relief from some sort of disaster, with little participation from the recipients expected (Claiborne, 2011). Service NGOs provide services such as health or education, where the recipients of services will have a role in how assistance is provided (Claiborne, 2011). Participatory NGOs use local models of community organization to mobilize projects in areas that need addressing at the community level where there is active collaboration between participants of the NGO and local people (Claiborne, 2011). Empowerment NGOs focus on development issues but specifically in issues of social justice or inequality struggles (Claiborne, 2011).
The general idealized framework of how NGOs were created and function in the modern world is a starting point. Scholars have also given a critical eye in exactly how the organizations, that vary quite in how each can focus on a particular issue and the dynamics of what happens in particular unique situations. One study examines how civil society gets represented by NGOs. Two philosophical perspectives were taken: one from Italian Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci and another from French sociologist Alexis de Toqueville of liberalist perspective (Clarke, 1998). The Gramscian view portrays class struggles as the primary way NGOs become involved in addressing issues in a developing country between elites and working classes (Clarke, 1998). The structure of the conflict was already preexisting from the way the state government has organized the society, where the working class issues are what NGOs will address (Clarke, 1998). A De Toquevillian view would give the impression that local political parties are to blame, that they have failed to address the needs of civil society as global political changes came about after the fall of Communism, so NGOs filled a gap to address things like human rights, the environment, and minority rights (Clarke, 1998). Evidence that both these perspectives are valid are seen in different developing nations.
Do all NGOs really represent civil society or do they represent specific interests of the institution itself? This is a critical perspective of NGOs sees them as outside the bounds of civil society in which they are supposed to help, having a Western perspective that might not be shared with a developing country, holding their own special interests above those of people needing assistance. Some NGOs have been found to lacking on participating effectively and not really empowering civil society (Holmén & Jirström, 2009). Development and economic goals may be prioritized over the needs of the poor or protecting the environment (Holmén & Jirström, 2009). They may justify their actions based on biased values and not effectively solve local problems (Collingwood, 2006). And in the end, are local interests being represented, or are NGOs giving local movements ideas of what their interests should be (Holmén & Jirström, 2009)? What Holmén & Jirström (2009) point out is that the institutions do not represent civil society directly. They represent interest groups directly, with the idea that they will be able to represent civil society.
Legitimacy is another issue raised by critics of NGOs, since they private and often foreign entities to the countries they work in that have a legitimate government. A problem with being non-governmental is that there are no checks and balances of the how they operate, unlike a national government bureaucracy (Collingwood, 2006). This can also be a blessing as often governments are ineffectual due to procedural mechanisms to get policies approved, NGOs will not have this handicap and can potentially accomplish goals more effectively, even though a criticism of NGOs is that they are often ineffectual. And what NGOs can accomplish is being a watchdog or whistle-blower to national governments to be an atypical actor to add additional checks and balances to international politics (Collingwood, 2006). It can create a dialectical process between NGOs and government, where one can be critical of the other (Holmén & Jirström, 2009). Legitimacy of non-governmental organization can be achieved through transparency, accountability, and representativeness (Collingwood, 2006). But a problem is that there is no international standards to measure for governments and other institutions what is legitimate or what is illegitimate (Collingwood, 2006).
In the end, NGOs are an integral part of international politics, with a vast array of interests to address problems globally. These issues can range from global to local. Technological advances and world political changes have made all nations more connected and given more power to non-state actors. NGOs act independent of governments, perhaps due to the fact that state political parties are skewed towards one spectrum of the political scale or that socio-economic class conflicts are a structural problem put in place by government that can be bridged by an outside entity. Despite criticism of how NGOs might operate and only further their own goals, they will continue to proliferate and be a part of a globalized world. They create networks internationally, and potentially represent civil society in ways that modern governments have failed to do. A process of cooperation with governments and criticism of NGOs of national policies as well as governments' rejection of legitimacy of non-governmental power can lead to a healthy conversation. Conflict between two factions can lead to goals being better imagined, and focused upon. A dialectic and renewed cooperation between "uncivil" government and NGOs can potentially give civil society better democratic representation.
Nongovernmental organizations or NGOs are one of the most important components of international relations today in politics, economics, and human interaction. With improvements in global transportation and communication, globalization has become a paramount force in accelerating change and giving greater power to non-state actors such as NGOs in the international realm. These institutions have also changed over the past few decades as we enter an increasingly globalized world, a topic of discussion among scholars. However many in the general public are familiar with the idea of an NGO but don't know exactly what it is. What role are they playing exactly in the relationship between the developed and developing world? NGOs are institutions devoted to specific problems in international relations, that bridge gaps between civil society and state governments to find solutions and promote greater cooperation between different sectors of human society in the modern world.
A working definition of a NGOs is that they are non-profit organizations based on addressing a wide variety of global and local issues (Claiborne, 2011). They primarily have humanitarian objectives promoting cooperation as opposed to having any commercial goals according to the United Nations (UN). NGOs can be dedicated to things like promoting science, addressing human rights, seeking world peace, advancing environmental sustainability, working with sports fans, to even possibly having business associations seeking profits as opposed to strictly being non-for-profit (Suri, 2005; Claiborne, 2011).
NGOs are not associated directly with any nation-state. Instead, NGOs are private organizations with its members not made up of government officials but rather private citizens (Suri, 2005; Claiborne, 2011). Because of this, they represent the interests of civil society and not of any state government (Suri, 2005; Claiborne, 2011). They can work with people from multiple nations, and are not under the direct authority of any government (Claiborne, 2011). NGOs are distinguished from inter-governmental organizations that will have members of multiple states promoting shared ideas of world leaders (Suri, 2005). NGOs often cooperate with state governments to achieve their goals (Claiborne, 2011). They can also be in opposition to governmental policies of any nation or nations (Suri, 2005).
The organizations can be classified by their operational scope and structure. There are international organizations such as Greenpeace, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and the Salvation Army (Claiborne, 2011). They operate in multiple countries, can be well funded and have projects specific to a local and national level. There are national organizations like The Boy Scouts of America and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (Claiborne, 2011). They can operate in a single country or sometimes a just a city or region within a country. There are also local community-based organizations (Claiborne, 2011).
Origins of NGOs as well as other non-state actors (NSAs) come from ancient times of globalization movements (Suri, 2005). Christianity itself can be seen as a highly influential, idealistic movement that was centrally organized (Suri, 2005). The Knights Templar organized and worked with the church to give European pilgrims to the Holy Land protection in their travels and even had a banking system independent of any government but worked across different nations (Scott et al., 2014). After the French Revolution there was an expansion of NGOs/NSAs as nation-states formed (Suri, 2005). NGOs expanded greatly since the 19th century. From 1880-1914, breakthroughs stemming from the industrial revolution with breakthroughs in transportation and communication technology connected the world as globalization became to be an important part of human society (Suri, 2005). This allowed for disseminating information among people across long distances, to allow for ideas to be exchanged and coordinate efforts of early NGOs (Suri, 2005). From 1914-1940s, despite two world wars and the Great Depression, technology continued to improve and actually wartime governmental organizing inspired more NGOs to develop (Suri, 2005). After the World War II, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union would give rise to an important place in world politics for NGOs, as groups that are working with the UN after the Second World War, and further development as transportation and communication technology made leaps. The number of NGOs multiplied exponentially during this period (Suri, 2005). From the 1960s, NGOs began making substantive changes in international relations as the silent war between the superpowers led to dissatisfaction with state institutions, NGOs provided alternative means to achieve goals such as modernization, development, and fighting for human rights (Suri, 2005). Over the last couple decades, NGOs continue to proliferate facilitated by globalization. In developing countries, NGOs have taken up roles in such countries to provide a voice for civil society due to local political governments not being able to effectively adapt to new global social changes or effectively address ongoing social problems (Clarke, 1998).
NGOs can be organized as multi-lateral partnerships, as seen with the some that are associated with the UN. Multilateral partnerships are the cooperation between two or more nation-states or actors, that can be other NGOs, professional organizations, and international organization (Claiborne, 2011). NGOs can be organized around a specific profession (Claiborne, 2011). Many examples are of groups that are dedicated to social welfare, social work that can work at an international or local level (Claiborne, 2011). NGOs do a number of things to fulfill their goals. Some are involved in political policy analysis, provide economic backing for grassroots movements, direct services in specific fields like medical care or schooling, planning development within a community, and make links to multilateral institutions (Claiborne, 2011). Community development can include developing a local industry, improving schooling, help give a community socio-economic sustainability, and/or fight for social justice (Claiborne, 2011). Social inequality is one problem that exists internationally to different extents where women, children or different ethnic groups are not treated equally in a society (Claiborne, 2011).
There are four models of NGOs in terms of their orientation (Claiborne, 2011). Charitable NGOs offer goods and services in response to needs of a society such as poverty or relief from some sort of disaster, with little participation from the recipients expected (Claiborne, 2011). Service NGOs provide services such as health or education, where the recipients of services will have a role in how assistance is provided (Claiborne, 2011). Participatory NGOs use local models of community organization to mobilize projects in areas that need addressing at the community level where there is active collaboration between participants of the NGO and local people (Claiborne, 2011). Empowerment NGOs focus on development issues but specifically in issues of social justice or inequality struggles (Claiborne, 2011).
The general idealized framework of how NGOs were created and function in the modern world is a starting point. Scholars have also given a critical eye in exactly how the organizations, that vary quite in how each can focus on a particular issue and the dynamics of what happens in particular unique situations. One study examines how civil society gets represented by NGOs. Two philosophical perspectives were taken: one from Italian Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci and another from French sociologist Alexis de Toqueville of liberalist perspective (Clarke, 1998). The Gramscian view portrays class struggles as the primary way NGOs become involved in addressing issues in a developing country between elites and working classes (Clarke, 1998). The structure of the conflict was already preexisting from the way the state government has organized the society, where the working class issues are what NGOs will address (Clarke, 1998). A De Toquevillian view would give the impression that local political parties are to blame, that they have failed to address the needs of civil society as global political changes came about after the fall of Communism, so NGOs filled a gap to address things like human rights, the environment, and minority rights (Clarke, 1998). Evidence that both these perspectives are valid are seen in different developing nations.
Do all NGOs really represent civil society or do they represent specific interests of the institution itself? This is a critical perspective of NGOs sees them as outside the bounds of civil society in which they are supposed to help, having a Western perspective that might not be shared with a developing country, holding their own special interests above those of people needing assistance. Some NGOs have been found to lacking on participating effectively and not really empowering civil society (Holmén & Jirström, 2009). Development and economic goals may be prioritized over the needs of the poor or protecting the environment (Holmén & Jirström, 2009). They may justify their actions based on biased values and not effectively solve local problems (Collingwood, 2006). And in the end, are local interests being represented, or are NGOs giving local movements ideas of what their interests should be (Holmén & Jirström, 2009)? What Holmén & Jirström (2009) point out is that the institutions do not represent civil society directly. They represent interest groups directly, with the idea that they will be able to represent civil society.
Legitimacy is another issue raised by critics of NGOs, since they private and often foreign entities to the countries they work in that have a legitimate government. A problem with being non-governmental is that there are no checks and balances of the how they operate, unlike a national government bureaucracy (Collingwood, 2006). This can also be a blessing as often governments are ineffectual due to procedural mechanisms to get policies approved, NGOs will not have this handicap and can potentially accomplish goals more effectively, even though a criticism of NGOs is that they are often ineffectual. And what NGOs can accomplish is being a watchdog or whistle-blower to national governments to be an atypical actor to add additional checks and balances to international politics (Collingwood, 2006). It can create a dialectical process between NGOs and government, where one can be critical of the other (Holmén & Jirström, 2009). Legitimacy of non-governmental organization can be achieved through transparency, accountability, and representativeness (Collingwood, 2006). But a problem is that there is no international standards to measure for governments and other institutions what is legitimate or what is illegitimate (Collingwood, 2006).
In the end, NGOs are an integral part of international politics, with a vast array of interests to address problems globally. These issues can range from global to local. Technological advances and world political changes have made all nations more connected and given more power to non-state actors. NGOs act independent of governments, perhaps due to the fact that state political parties are skewed towards one spectrum of the political scale or that socio-economic class conflicts are a structural problem put in place by government that can be bridged by an outside entity. Despite criticism of how NGOs might operate and only further their own goals, they will continue to proliferate and be a part of a globalized world. They create networks internationally, and potentially represent civil society in ways that modern governments have failed to do. A process of cooperation with governments and criticism of NGOs of national policies as well as governments' rejection of legitimacy of non-governmental power can lead to a healthy conversation. Conflict between two factions can lead to goals being better imagined, and focused upon. A dialectic and renewed cooperation between "uncivil" government and NGOs can potentially give civil society better democratic representation.