Topic 3: Agencies of Dev (NGOs)

Question 1

What are NGOs?

Answer 1

They are part of the ‘civil society’: they aren’t a govt or business trying to make profit.
They focus on humanitarian issues.

Question 2

What type of approach do they take?

Answer 2

A people-centred approach - Oxfam has helped many people in poverty.

Question 3

Their aid is quite often _____ compared to govts or IGOs.

Answer 3

Their aid is quite often small compared to govts or IGOs.

Question 4

When is the aid from (I)NGOs successful?

Answer 4

Often highly successful at local level but not enough to transform the global situation.

Question 5

Who responded more quickly than the WHO during the Ebola outbreak of 2014?

Answer 5

Medecins Sans Frontieres

Question 6

What do Edwards and Hume (2013) argue?

Answer 6

NGOs were losing touch with their roots and becoming too close to govs and other sources of funding.

Question 7

What are their strengths? (5)

Answer 7

1. They aren’t driven for profit (will put social issues first).
2. There is a continuity with their aid.
3. Can undertake smaller operations with local people.
4. They are able and willing to take risks.
5. Often smaller and more effective than state bureaucracies.

Question 8

What are the downsides to NGOs? (5)

Answer 8

1. They can be too concerned with good publicity and trying to build a successful brand.
2. Sometimes have links to TNCs.
3. Lack financial and political clout for major change.
4. Working too closely with govts (politics gets involved with what aid to give, where to give it and to whom). - USA and abortion.
5. Embroiled in scandals - Oxfam: Haiti 2010 and DRC.

Question 9

Helpful examples?

Answer 9

Oxfam
Medecins Sans Frontieres
Save the Children