ABSTRACT
Governments in the North Atlantic countries have in fact steadily increased their own contributions to private voluntary organizations (PVOs) carrying out overseas relief and development assistance. While the older US organizations in their official publications give emphasis to development as opposed to assistential work, they continue to rely predominantly on material aid rather than cash grants to support their overseas operations. Canadian PVOs tend to cluster very much in category 2 and 3, with much less emphasis on assistential work than their US counterparts. There is also evidence that the distinction made by many PVOs between desirable progressive political positions and undesirable, and avoidable, partisan political identifications is at times too facile. A dimension of political character--and where US and Canadian PVOs again differ considerably--is the issue of whether or not PVOs attempt to influence the policies of their own home governments. Decision making inside PVOs involves much input from the field.
