WP37 Responsible

[LSE-43] - London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Social Policy, Centre for Civil Society (London)

WP37 Responsible for Spread of Excellence

[LSE-43] - London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Social Policy, Centre for Civil Society (London)

WP37 Objectives

The aim of the work package is to investigate changes in EU aid policy towards European and Southern NGOs and the effects of these on the participation and well-being of poor and marginalised groups in developing countries.
The specific objectives are as follows:

1. To investigate how historical, cultural and geo-political factors affect the way European NGOs engage with Southern NGOs to enhance participation and well-being in the South.
2. To explore whether there are distinctive approaches amongst EU bilateral aid agencies to their understanding of the respective roles of state, civil society and market in development processes and how these then frame aid policies towards European NGOs, Southern NGOs and governments. Three specific questions arise here: first, whether these different approaches derive from distinct approaches to welfare provision, and second, how these approaches translate into distinct modalities for transferring aid to NGOs, governments, partnerships or sub-contracting arrangements, third, how European NGOs are responding to an emerging `identity crisis’, triggered by increased direct funding to southern NGOs.
3. To examine the effects of these different approaches and aid modalities on the way NGOs, both in the North and South, conceptualise and operationalise participation and well-being and the consequences thereof for poor and marginalised groups in the South, and for the power relations between Northern and Southern NGOs.
4. To consider the relative effectiveness of European NGOs in enhancing the participation and well-being of poor and marginalised groups in developing countries compared with other types of European civil society organisations such as diaspora groups, trade unions and faith groups. Moreover, to examine whether there is anything distinctive about the way European NGOs engage with local civil society organisations in the South.

WP37 Description of work

Preparing and organising a major international conference.

WP37 Participants

• [LSE-43] - London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Social Policy, Centre for Civil Society (London)
• [RUC-1] - Roskilde University, Department of Social Sciences (Roskilde)
• [UNITN-24] - University of Trento, Department of Sociology and Social Research (Trento)

WP37 Documents

For documents of this work package, please go to CINEFOGO Outcomes Database and type WP37 in the Search field.