ABSTRACT
Will the ‘new world order’ which is said to offer development NGOs ‘access to ever greater resources and influence’ (Edwards and Hulme 1994) last much longer, and be any more beneficial, than the one announced after the fall of the Berlin Wall? The ‘new world order’ that American President George Bush proclaimed was mostly a creation of optimism and rhetoric. The one which suggests a new role of NGOs could prove to be constructed of the same materials and not much longer lasting. New relationships between public and private sectors around the world are resulting from a range of political, economic and social transitions and forces (Uphoff 1993, 1994). Governmental bodies are experiencing both a decline in fiscal support and in public credibility. Market institutions are gaining greater latitude and confidence with both ideological support and resource advantages. In this situation, NGOs are being described as a ‘third sector’.
