ABSTRACT

One of the advantages of the term ‘non-governmental organisation’ is that it suggests an inverse, even a dialectical, relationship between NGOs and the state. In practice, this inverse and dialectical relationship represents the very raison d’être of NGOs. In the developing world, counter-mobilisation in response to short comings in state performance in promoting economic development and in mobilising broadly-based, popular support represents the most significant aspect of NGO action. Strong NGO communities are invariably found in developing countries where the state lacks the capacity to promote economic development and political participation effectively and where the state tolerates, if not encourages, the voluntary sector. Thus, while the mainstream NGO literature suggests that development NGOs represent a response primarily to socio-economic deprivation, in reality, the response of NGOs to development dilemmas is determined primarily by the particular character of the state.