Governance of Nongovernmental Organizations: A Framework and Application to Poverty Programs in East Africa
34 Pages Posted: 2 Dec 2004
Date Written: August 25, 2004
Abstract
This paper examines critical issues in the corporate governance of NGOs. A framework for analysis of governance of NGO poverty programs is developed. The emphasis is placed on the potential for divergence between de jure organizational structure and the de facto process of decision-making. Then, ten case studies of selected NGOs currently running poverty programs in sub-Saharan Africa are considered, each program locally operated but with various degrees of control by or linkages to international networks and funding sources. Programs were selected to span a wide range of sectors including microfinance, income generation, agricultural development, appropriate technology, education, public health, medical care, day care, and environmental protection and sustainability. To gain insights into de facto governance, the most important decision made by each of the ten NGOs over the past several years is examined. Generally, whichever party controlled the key sources of funding had the largest voice in the decision. Yet major advantages to giving the poor a larger voice in the governance of the programs that affect them are identified. The solution could be to find better ways to encourage, account for, and acknowledge the important contributions of the poor in poverty programs. While this paper focuses on poverty programs, some of the implications may apply to for-profit corporate governance in Africa, and to NGO governance in general.
Keywords: corporate governance, nongovernmental organizations, NGO's, poverty, Africa
JEL Classification: G34, O55, L33
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
Investment in the Absence of Property Rights: The Role of Incumbency Advantages
-
Investment in the Absence of Property Rights: The Role of Incumbency Advantages
-
The Market for Protection and the Origin of the State
By Kai A. Konrad and Stergios Skaperdas
-
By Gil S. Epstein and Shmuel Nitzan
-
The Struggle Over Migration Policy
By Gil S. Epstein and Shmuel Nitzan
-
Political Culture and Monopoly Price Determination
By Gil S. Epstein and Shmuel Nitzan
-
Strategic Restraint in Contests
By Gil S. Epstein and Shmuel Nitzan
-
Effort and Performance in Public-Policy Contents
By Gil S. Epstein and Shmuel Nitzan