Nongovernmental organization (NGO)

A nongovernmental organization (NGO) is a social enterprise that is formally independent of the state and created by individuals on a voluntary basis in order to address a particular social issue or issues. NGOs play an important role in keeping democracy intact by monitoring government actions in the sphere of interest, distributing information to public stakeholders, and mobilizing social campaigns. NGOs vary by size and power, organization and management, and broad representation enables them to monitor many problems in the world at global, state, and community levels, operating in both democratic and authoritarian regimes alike. However, transnational NGOs have been accused of being a corporate mafia; rather than trying to solve a problem, it is said, they want it to continue to justify their existence. In addition, many NGOs are dependent on funding, so they may prioritize implementing donor's goals rather than those important to the recipient communities. Finally, NGOs have been accused of imposing a Western-style liberal model of state-society relations, which may not fit everywhere around the world.

Background

The term NGO came into use at the United Nations shortly after its foundation in 1945. However, various examples of nongovernmental social mobilization existed long before the twentieth century. As early as the thirteenth century, Chinese humanitarian associations operated along the rivers to rescue and resuscitate drowned people. Islamic communities (tariqats) also began providing valuable social welfare functions to their members in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with the spread of colonialism, secret societies and missionary organizations appeared throughout the world, setting up chapters and orders.

In the eighteenth century, revolutionary groups gained power and a transnational presence, and in the nineteenth century, rights-based movements became much stronger and vocal in addressing slavery and women's rights. Even before World War I, there were about four hundred international NGOs. Many of the NGOs campaigned for specific changes in domestic legislatures and international treaties. In the twentieth century, NGOs began to cooperate with international organizations such as the United Nations and acquired a stronger influence over the legislative process. By 2010 there were forty thousand international NGOs. Into the mid-2020s, the number of international NGOs was estimated anywhere in the tens of thousands to millions, although the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations placed the number at 54,000 organizations in over 190 countries.

Although classification is difficult, since NGOs come in the variety of associations, foundations, charities, trusts, etc., they all share several characteristics. First, profit is not their main purpose of activity. Sometimes, they are also known as nonprofit organizations. Second, government officials cannot found an NGO and cannot participate in such an organization in any official capacity. Third, no one can be forced to create an NGO; it must be a voluntary organization of private individuals. Fourth, NGOs cannot directly seek political power and authority. Fifth, NGOs cannot call for violence and the basic violation of freedoms and human rights.

According to Margaret Keck and Kathryn Sikkink, NGOs are involved in one or all of the following functions: collecting and disseminating information; increasing awareness through symbolic acts and campaigns; pressuring powerful actors to change their behavior through public opinion, leveraging appropriate policy changes; and keeping governments and international organizations accountable for their actions.

Impact

There are positive and negative outcomes from the growing number of NGOs and their increasing power in national and international politics. First, international NGOs are capable of mobilizing resources, both financial and material, across state borders, thereby challenging state power in global arenas. It is much more difficult for dictators to conduct mass killings in secret and impunity; NGOs make crimes known and can appeal for help from international actors. Second, NGOs cover a wide variety of issues, bringing problems to the attention of decision-makers and joining efforts to solve them. There are NGOs who specialize in healthcare, for example, distributing long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets to vulnerable populations. Yet others seek to preserve biodiversity by protesting against slash-and-burn agriculture.

Third, NGOs can foster democratic participation and the protection of human rights. By joining voluntary organizations established by like-minded people, NGO members interact with each other, creating trust and cooperation. These horizontal linkages form foundations of social capital and the sharing of common values. If a government abuses its power, these communities attempt to put it back on track by mobilizing large numbers of people through protesting and seeking help from the international community.

However, there are a number of negative outcomes from the growing number of NGOs. First, many methods of civic participation assume constant opposition to the state. But in countries in which state is already weak, NGOs may need to learn how to work with the state in order to solve common problems. By constantly trying to limit the state, NGOs risk introducing a model of state-society relations that might not fit all countries and communities all the time.

Second, historically, NGOs choose problems they want to solve rather than asking local communities for their needs and aspirations. This is especially apparent in democratization efforts. Despite long-term efforts to introduce and strengthen democracy, the world has become less democratic, both in young and consolidated democracies alike. Democratization methods tend to be standardized and applied to all countries in the same manner: the introduction of multiple political parties with elections and the adoption of a constitution. However, when society is polarized, these methods frequently do not bring adequate results and can even push countries to the brink of civil war.

Third, NGOs are dependent on funding. Frequently, funding is distributed by governments or corporations that specify how and when money should be spent. Issue areas are often preselected before the funding is distributed. A common criticism is that many NGOs specialize in very specific issues and always get funding for it regardless of their track record, justifying their existence by saying, "if not us, then whom?" In such cases, donors continue to channel resources to problems without solutions while everyone is watching how the money is wasted.

Regardless of negative impact, NGOs are essential tools of democracy, and their growing power and recognition enable them to shape the lives of people at the community as well as global level.

Bibliography

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