ABSTRACT
The proliferation of nongovernmental organizations is one of the most striking features of the contemporary world. The nongovernmental sector has exploded since World War II, its curve of growth seemingly exponential. According to the Union of International Associations, the number of “conventional” NGOs stood at 973 in 1956, a figure that more than doubled in 1968 to 1,899, doubled again by 1981 to 4,265, and by 1996 had reached 5,471 (Welch, 2001, p. 1).
