Presentation for the 2010 Conference of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action in Alexandria, VA, 11/19/10

Speaker: Dean Chahim, Development Studies, University of Washington

Abstract:
How does dependence on foreign funding affect the ability of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to be downwardly accountable catalysts for social change? Drawing on interviews with stakeholders in a wide range of NGOs in Nicaragua, this study shows that dependence on foreign funding strains the ties of NGOs to constituencies and pushes them from long-term advocacy and organizing towards short-term service and ephemeral mobilization. The result is a disproportionately influential, yet uprooted, NGO sector which leaves little room for traditional grassroots membership organizations and necessitates a rethinking of current funding models and the roles of foreign-funded NGOs in building civil society.

Background and Status:
This research is based on two months of field research in Nicaragua, originally done for the aid efficacy organization Beyond Good Intentions (beyondgoodintentions.com). The speaker is currently working with Dr. Aseem Prakash in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington to develop an article for publication based on this research.

A draft copy of the paper is available upon request. This is a work in progress, so comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.