Aid

The paper argues that the increase in official development assistance to South Africa following its transition to majority rule was largely at the expense of other countries in the region. While this refocusing of aid has been aimed at disadvantaged black groups, it will also reinforce the regional dominance of the South African economy. Aid […]

The author wrote this open letter to her friends in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, from the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa. She describes the devastation, how nearby countries have sent assistance, and her fears for the future.

This paper, based on a review of SIDA’s funding of NGOs in Bangladesh, explores the changing relationships between bilateral donors, Northern NGOs (NNGOs), and Southern NGOs (SNGOs). It compares direct and indirect funding routes between donors and SNGOs. Most SIDA funding of SNGOs was previously undertaken through Swedish NGOs. As SNGO competence and capacity has […]

This paper looks at the opportunities for civil society organisations (CSOs) in Brazil to increase and diversify income. It demonstrates the range of potential new sources of funds, including the Brazilian public, commercial activities, and government institutions. The role of volunteers is also addressed. The institutional and cultural changes that CSOs must make in order […]

Thailand is experiencing the unfamiliar phenomenon of aid and multilateral agencies such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank lending money for internal development programmes. In the economic boom years, aid was neither sought nor required since structural development was funded from the growth which South-East Asian countries had begun to take for granted. […]

The authors describe the phenomena of `perverse inertias’ – effects and tendencies which are the opposite of what was intended – in the context of Southern responses to Northern NGOs. Two specific impacts on recipient populations are discussed. `The project culture’, where `beneficiaries’ feel compelled to invent as many projects as they can, in line […]

This Research Round-Up provides a brief literature review of the use of pre-departure briefings (PDBs) for NGO staff delivering overseas aid programmes, especially from the point of view of Australian NGOs. The professionalism, productivity and effectiveness of aid workers can be enhanced using improved human resource management. The author reports the results of a questionnaire […]