Experiences of Third Sector Governance in Asia: A Political Economy Analysis

Abstract

Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney with partners in six countries (China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) undertook a comprehensive comparative work on governance and its relationship to performance and accountability in the third sector organizations (TSOs). The work was published as Comparative Third Sector Governance in Asia: Structure, Process, and Political Economy, Springer, 2008. This chapter (10) analyses TSO governance in the six participating countries. Identifying the major national and international factors, it underscores some socio-political phenomena that seem to have tremendous impact on TSO governance. It explains why TSO governance is about the ends, not the means, and what is its likely outcome in the future.

Keywords: Accountability, Civil society, NGO, Non-governmental organisations, Governance, Third sector board, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, Civil society in China, NGO in Indonesia, NGO governance, NGO board