Abstract The intensification of efforts by state and nonstate actors to address issues affecting global health has produced a patchwork of transnational regulatory governance. Within this field, ...nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are expected to perform authoritative roles in holding business actors to account and enhance the democratic legitimacy of institutions via their participation in governance processes. While there exists a large body of conceptual and empirical research on global business regulation and private authority, we surprisingly know little about the governance functions of NGOs engaged in influencing the practices of corporations that produce health-harming commodities. This knowledge gap is especially pronounced in the issue area of noncommunicable diseases. This article begins to address this gap by mapping the networks of NGOs that engage in regulatory activities (rule-setting, monitoring, and enforcement) related to the (ultra)processed food and alcohol industries. We identify the networks of NGOs involved in global policy making across health, regulatory standards, and multistakeholder initiatives using nonstate actor submissions to consultations held by World Health Organization, UN Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), and the UN Global Compact. This paper examines NGO governance functions and their patterns of engagement and participation across institutional spheres. Overall, the article makes a twofold contribution to existing debates. First, we identify the governance functions through which NGOs attempt to hold corporations to account, contrasting their “watchdog” function with other governance functions. Second, we examine the representation of NGOs, highlighting asymmetries in participation of NGOs in the Global North and South.
First Nations peoples occupy one‐quarter of the world's land area, safeguarding 80% of its biodiversity. Sustainable development frameworks acknowledge and include culture's role but fail to give it ...a special place, specifically First Nations peoples' (Indigenous) cultures. Hence, this study presents a sustainable development model that recognises their cultures—the underlying motivation is that adopting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) as the 2030 Sustainability Agenda for these peoples' cultural capital development has posed two challenges. First, the goal‐related targets and indicators are objectified, encouraging these to be attained as separate goals, but since First Nations cultures are based on relationships and interconnectedness, thinking linearly about these goals misaligns with these cultures. Second, these targets and indicators are not framed to provide special recognition and inclusion of these peoples' cultural knowledge as crucial for sustainable development. Therefore, this study uses the Gaia theory, the theory of distributive justice and the interaction theory of First Nations cultures to propose an empirically testable structural equation model for analysing empirical data using the UN SDGs as goal posts, towards advancing sustainable development. A model application is proposed for non‐governmental organisations serving First Nations peoples. The integrated model shows the interrelationships between various types of capital, including these peoples' cultural capital, required for sustainable development.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Drawing on the concept of sociomateriality, this paper investigates the digitalisation of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in developing countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. NGOs represent ...one sector in which the consequences of digitalisation have been particularly striking. Nationwide lockdowns, travel restrictions and strict government guidelines led to NGOs embarking on a transition towards digitalisation for their continuity and survival. Adhering to a qualitative approach, data for the study have been derived through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, focus group discussions with beneficiaries and a review of documentary sources. Outlining both the benefits and consequences of digitalisation, the findings of the study illustrate the way how the NGOs' digitalisation has triggered changes in both their operations and modes of communication, altered their relationships with beneficiaries and other stakeholders, and transformed their identity. The key contribution made by the paper involves moving beyond the human-centred and techno-centric approaches to digitalisation, which dominate the existing accounting literature, and illustrating how the performance of technologies evolves in everyday life. In doing so, the paper delineates the role that the technology itself can play in shaping NGOs' day-to-day practices in developing countries.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
International non‐governmental organisations (INGOs) bring together actors from three very different backgrounds: international aid workers, national aid workers generally from the urban middle ...classes and disadvantaged communities. However, the ways national aid workers negotiate their cultural encounters and use accountability tools and information systems have not been the objects of much research. In this article, we analyse how the Bangladeshi employees of an INGO with headquarters in the United Kingdom and a country branch in Bangladesh are using accountability tools and information systems developed by and for English speakers and how they are coming up with work practices that are more attuned with their cultural and linguistic preferences.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Extant scholarly discourse on ecological governance within China predominantly underscores the salient role of the central state. This is unsurprising given the statist policy trajectory transitioned ...from an emphasis on swift economic growth to focusing on emerging ecological challenges in the last decade. However, this article deviates from this prevailing emphasis, pivoting instead to the tangible practices and realities of ecological governance at the grassroots level. Through an ethnographic investigation, this article delves into the nuances of ecological governance within the Tibetan regions of Qinghai Province, China, emphasising the interplay between local communities, environmental non‐governmental organisations and the local state. The article introduces the concept of ‘pluralistic ecological governance’, advocating for the integration of diverse governance structures, institutional frameworks and stakeholder involvements. This approach encompasses a thorough consideration of diverse knowledge systems, motivations of community participation and local‐state relations, vital for addressing the complex nature of ecological issues. The study contends that ‘pluralistic ecological governance’ not only encompasses different stakeholders but also critically examines various forms of knowledge and motivations, along with the diverse interests these stakeholders contribute to both the discourse and practice of ecological conservation on the ground.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
•The concept of project facilitation is presented as an active response to the tensions that exist within programmes.•The tensions are characterised as tensions between recursive and adaptive ...tendencies.•Project facilitation is a competency and trust based approach that supports strategic learning while devolving decision-making power to project implementers.•Tensions at multiple levels from micro (actor) to macro institutional are inter-connected.•Finding active responses to the tensions that exist within programmes offers greater potential for effective delivery of long term benefits than defensive strategies.•For project facilitation to be successful in partnership based programmes, it is critical that programme managers create spaces for learning, and foster trust and relationship building with partners.
This paper examines the tension within international development programmes between traditional task-oriented approaches to development and the wider view of programmes as sites for adaptability and learning. It characterises it as a set of inter-related tensions between recursive and adaptive tendencies that exist at individual actor, programme and institutional levels. Drawing on a multiple interpretive case study of partnership based programmes between an international non-government organisation and local partners in three countries, it looks at how these tensions play out in practice. Based on the findings, it proposes an active response to the tensions called project facilitation. This is an adaptive and co-created process that incorporates local experience and practice based knowledge to achieve strategic goals, while utilising recognised project management practices to achieve agreed outcomes. By adopting active responses to the tensions that exist within programmes it offers greater potential for effective delivery of long term benefits than the more typical defensive response strategies. Project facilitation is consistent with the social constructionist view of programmes and programme management but broadens our understanding by emphasising the need to actively consider how the tensions inherent in programmes are responded to.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Digital transformation creates opportunities and challenges for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their stakeholders. In NGOs, digital transformation affects different accounting modes. While ...many challenges brought about by digital transformation are universal, NGOs can be acutely affected due to the diversity of their stakeholders, regulatory and funder demands, and ongoing resource constraints. Conversely, there is hope that digital transformation can help to address longstanding sectoral level challenges, and engage those diverse stakeholders with performance, governance and accountability information. This article reviews the existing literature on NGO digital transformation, situates the articles of this Special Issue and identifies avenues for further research. Digital transformation is arguably amplifying existing trends, through helping NGOs discharge greater accountability to beneficiaries, and changing their communications with funders. However, beneficiaries have seldom driven such attempts, and are often not involved in the development of accountability measures nor assessing NGOs’ success. Early attempts to engage beneficiaries are encouraging, but real concerns remain that technology worsens social division and amplifies cleavages, leaving the most vulnerable behind.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The study explored NGOs' strategies toward asset accumulation and poverty reduction in Zimbabwe using a case study of three NGOs in the Chegutu District. Despite several NGOs operating in the Chegutu ...District, asset problems are conspicuously reflected by income struggles, school children dropping out of school and the social exclusion of the communities. Thus, the study analyzed the role of NGOs in asset accumulation and the relationship between asset accumulation and poverty reduction. It emerged that NGOs are using ISALS, nutritional gardens, service provision, income-generating activities (IGAs) and vocational training (VT) to engender the accumulation of financial, social, physical and human assets. As households accumulate sufficient levels of financial assets through interventions like ISALS, VT and nutritional gardens, there is improved social wellbeing, shedding light on the nexus between asset accumulation and poverty reduction. The study was qualitative in nature with data collected through the use of in-depth interviews and FGDs.
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BFBNIB, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Drawing from a digital postcolonialism perspective, this paper explores how the leftover technology available in the colonised space shapes the landscape of NGOs’ accountability to beneficiaries and ...funders during the COVID-19 lockdown. The context of the study is the Gaza Strip, a socially and politically vulnerable geographic location with heavy reliance on support from NGOs. We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with Palestinian and international NGOs during and after the lockdown to enhance our understanding of the challenges and opportunities they faced in adopting technology to discharge accountability during a major disruptive event. Three main themes emerged from our analysis. First, the biggest challenge is downward accountability to the most deprived and marginalised beneficiaries due to implications of the digital occupation which caused digital unaffordability and illiteracy, voluntary digital resistance to counter suspicion of surveillance, and female digital disempowerment. Second, upward accountability was less problematic as funders accepted ad hoc technology-based accountability practices, but some concerns remained over the efficacy and sustainability of digital adoption in the long run. Finally, the pandemic granted NGOs new opportunities in utilising technology, which successfully changed their process and practice of accountability.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Attacks against humanitarian aid workers have received increasing attention in the media, particularly high‐profile incidents such as those against the hospitals of Médecins Sans Frontières in ...Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen. Concurrently, scholarly research has given rise to a number of articles, white papers, and books on humanitarian insecurity. Most of this work centres on external threats, neglecting the internal mechanisms that humanitarian organisations use to mitigate security situations. This paper builds on the existing literature by focusing on the decision‐making processes of humanitarian organisations, drawing on data collected from 16 security managers or advisers. The findings reveal that several factors contribute to contextual uncertainty and complexity, including recipient perceptions, local government actions, the behaviour of other non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) in the area, logistical issues, risk variance within a single location, and organisational mandate. Furthermore, the results indicate that NGOs utilise a combination of decision‐making processes to determine how to manage security in high‐risk environments.
الملخص
جذبت الهجمات ضد العاملين في مجال الإغاثة الإنسانية اهتمامًا متزايدًا في وسائل الإعلام، مع وقوع حوادث بارزة، مثل تلك التي استهدفت مستشفيات منظمة أطباء بلا حدود في أفغانستان واليمن وسوريا. في الوقت نفسه، أدى البحث العلمي إلى ظهور عدد من المقالات والأوراق البيضاء والكتب حول انعدام الأمن الإنساني. تركز معظم هذه الأبحاث على التهديدات الخارجية مع إهمال الآليات الداخلية التي تستخدمها المنظمات الإنسانية للتخفيف من الحوادث الأمنية. تعتمد هذه المقالة على الأدبيات الموجودة من خلال التركيز على عمليات صنع القرار في المنظمات الإنسانية. تستخدم المقالة البيانات التي جُمعت من 16 مدير / مستشار أمن. تكشف النتائج عن عدة عوامل تساهم في عدم اليقين السياقي والتعقيد، بما في ذلك تصورات المتلقين، والحكومات المحلية، وسلوك المنظمات غير الحكومية الأخرى في المنطقة، والقضايا اللوجستية، والتباين في المخاطر داخل موقع واحد، والتفويض التنظيمي. تشير النتائج كذلك إلى أن المنظمات غير الحكومية تستخدم مجموعة من عمليات اتخاذ القرار لتحديد كيفية إدارة الأمن في المواقف عالية الخطورة.
摘要
针对人道主义援助工作者的袭击已经引起媒体越来越多的关注，例如在阿富汗、也门和叙利亚发生的针对无国界医生医院的引人注目的袭击事件。与此同时，学术研究已经产生了一些关于人道主义不安全的文章、白皮书和书籍。这些研究大多集中于外部威胁，而忽视了人道主义组织用来减轻安全事件的内部机制。本文以现有文献为基础，重点关注于人道主义组织的决策过程。本文使用从16位安全管理者/顾问收集的数据。研究结果显示，有几个因素导致了环境的不确定性和复杂性，包括接受者的看法、地方政府、该地区其他非政府组织的行为、后勤问题、单一地点的风险差异和组织授权。研究结果进一步表明，非政府组织使用联合决策过程来决定如何在高风险情况下管理安全。
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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