ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the role of Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) in current development discourses, summarises the main findings of the contributions, and outlines the argument of the collection. FBOs are social organisations with a development focus, based on values intrinsic to a specific religion. These organisations have become potent actors in the field of multilateral development policy, and, as this volume shows, act as boundary agents: FBOs move between different discursive fields such as national and international development discourses, their specific religious constituencies, and theological discourses. As such, they cross the boundaries between secular and religious organisations, denominational lines, and different development contexts and discourses. In doing so, they become boundary agents that mediate between different discourses. By combining influxes from these different contexts, FBOs generate unique perspectives on development. Thus, FBOs have the capacity to become developmental entrepreneurs: they bring alternative approaches into ongoing development debates and shape development discourses with their genuine concepts.